Category: National

Telangana HC’s conditional nod to YSRTP for hunger strike

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Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday granted conditional permission to the YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) for a day-long hunger strike at Indira Park in Hyderabad on the problems faced by the unemployed.
The hunger strike was scheduled on April 17 under the umbrella of ‘Telangana Students’ Action for Vacancies and Employment’ (T-SAVE), a platform mooted by YSRTP President Y.S. Sharmila but the police had denied permission for the same.
Sharmila had filed a petition in the High Court, seeking direction from the police to allow the protest. The High Court, however, directed that not more than 500 people should participate in the hunger strike.

The organisers were also directed to approach the police 48 hours before their hunger strike.
Sharmila is likely to announce a new date for protest in a day or two.
After the police denied the permission, the YSRTP had lashed out at Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for it calls his atrocious reign and dictatorial treatment of those who raised voice against his failures and fake promises.
Blasting the state government for forcing Hyderabad police to refuse permission to T-SAVE hunger strike, YSRTP official spokesperson Gattu Ramachandra Rao said that it is shameful in a democratic setup to not let activists enter their own party office.

The Political Affairs Committee had alleged that Sharmila is repeatedly being targeted because KCR is now scared of her fight and commitment towards Telangana. “We have been tirelessly fighting for the cause and the rights of the unemployed. Not only is the state government silent and arrogant, they are also depriving us of our right to fight and protest,” he said.

“T-SAVE was proposed as a common platform and we had decided to conduct a hunger strike for a day near Indira Park. This plea was rejected by the city police. Is this fair on the part of the party that claims its emergence and existence to public movements and people’s protests? Didn’t KCR conduct numerous protests at Indira Park earlier? How can the rules be different for BRS and others?” added Ramachandra Rao.
He claimed that the proposed hunger strike had the support of 39 social organisations and various political parties.
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#Telangana #HCs #conditional #nod #YSRTP #hunger #strike
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
Twitter now tells advertisers to pay for verification or they can’t run ads

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New Delhi: After removing all legacy Blue check marks and asking individual users to pay for being verified, Elon Musk-run Twitter on Friday asked advertisers to either pay for the verification or they will not be able to run their ads on the platform.
Social media consultant Matt Navarra shared the letter sent by Twitter to advertisers, which read that starting April 21, “your account must have a verified checkmark or subscribe to either Twitter Blue or Verified Organisations to continue running ads on Twitter.”
“Business accounts spending in excess of $1,000 per month already have gold checks or will soon, and they’ll continue to enjoy access to advertising without interruption at this time,” the company posted.

The company said it aligns with the broader verification strategy to elevate the quality of content on Twitter and enhance experience as a user and advertiser.
“This approach also supports our ongoing efforts to reduce fraudulent accounts and bots. Subscribing to either of these services means you have been verified by Twitter as a real person and/or business,” said the micro-blogging platform.
Navarra tweeted: “Twitter is now telling advertisers it MUST subscribe to Twitter Blue or Verified Organisations to continue running ads!”
Twitter had told businesses to pay $1,000 per month for retaining gold badges and brands and organisations which do not pay the money will lose their checkmarks.

The Musk-run company, which is busy monetising its platform via various means, will also charge an extra $50 per month to add badges to each account affiliated with the brand, The Information reported recently.

Earlier, all legacy verified accounts lost their Blue badges, creating chaos on the platform all over the world. Several celebrities lost their Blue check marks.
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#Twitter #tells #advertisers #pay #verification #run #ads
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
Aishwarya Rai addresses Salman Khan as her ‘life’ in this viral video

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Mumbai: The Indian entertainment industry has always been a hub of glamour, controversy, and gossip. And when it comes to celebrity relationships, nothing generates more buzz than the ones that end on a bitter note. Among such high-profile relationships is the one shared by Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and superstar Salman Khan. Their love story was a rollercoaster ride that started in the late 90s and ended in a tumultuous breakup, which continues to be a hot topic even after many years. Their old videos and edited clips together often hit headlines.
In a latest video that is surfacing on Instagram shows Aishwarya Rai responding to a question about Salman Khan during a rapid-fire round on Karan Johar’s talk show “Koffee with Karan.” In the original video, Karan Johar talked about SRK and Sushmita Sen and threw the name Salman Khan at her. Rai responded in a split second, “Next question,” but her response has been changed in the edited video where she says, “My life.” The video has sparked a lot of discussion and controversy online.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has long been a popular figure in the entertainment industry, and her appearances on “Koffee with Karan” have been among the show’s most memorable moments. Aishwarya has always been forthright and candid in her responses, and her well-known “giggles” have added to her charm and charisma.

Aishwarya spoke about a variety of topics during her appearance on the show, including her alleged rift with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, fake stories, and criticism of her Cannes outfit. She also discussed her friendship with Vivek Oberoi, a controversial figure in the industry.
During the rapid-fire round, however, when Karan Johar asked Aishwarya about Salman Khan, she chose not to respond. For years, fans have speculated and debated about this, and the recently edited video has added fuel to the fire.
It is unclear who edited the video and why, but it has been widely shared and received a lot of attention on social media.

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#Aishwarya #Rai #addresses #Salman #Khan #life #viral #video

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
MP: Complaint filed on Badshah for hurting Hindu sentiments with song

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Indore: A complaint was submitted to the police in Indore in Madhya Pradesh on Friday against singer Badshah for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of people by using the word ‘Bholenath’ in a song that contains objectionable lyrics, a police official said.
The complaint was submitted by an organisation called ‘Parshuram Sena’ and action will be taken after the allegations are investigated, MG Road police station in charge Santosh Singh said.
The organisation’s lawyer Vinod Dwivedi claimed the lyrics of Badshah’s new song ‘Sanak’ contained objectionable lyrics and the use of the word ‘Bholenath’ had hurt the sentiments of the Hindus.

Some people also protested in front of MG Road police station and burnt an effigy of the 37-year-old artiste.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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#Complaint #filed #Badshah #hurting #Hindu #sentiments #song

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
Twitter plea against Centre’s order to block accounts: Karnataka HC reserves judgment

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Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court on Friday reserved its verdict on social media platform Twitter’s plea challenging the central government’s directions to take down 39 URLs.
The matter pertains to the 10 blocking orders that the central government had issued to Twitter, between February 2021 and February 2022, directing the social media platform to block public access to certain information, and suspend several accounts as well.
The Centre had handed over the blocking orders in sealed covers to the High Court.

Justice Krishna S Dixit reserved the judgment after hearing the arguments presented by Twitter and the central government.
Twitter challenged the government orders claiming that they are arbitrary, and procedurally and substantively not in consonance with Section 69A of the IT Act. Twitter also contended that account-level blocking is a violation of the constitutional rights of users.
Apart from arguing that the direction to block entire accounts falls afoul of Section 69A of the IT Act, Twitter claimed that the government orders do not comply with the procedures and safeguards prescribed by the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009 (Blocking Rules).
In its reply, the Centre submitted that the directions were issued in national and public interest and to prevent lynching and mob violence incidents.

Stating that it only intervenes when there is a threat to the sovereignty of India or public order, the central government argued that being a foreign entity and the government’s 10 blocking orders not being arbitrary, Twitter could not take refuge under the fundamental rights under Articles 14 (right to equality) and 19 (right to freedom of speech and expression) of the Indian Constitution.

Contending that Twitter does not have the right to espouse the cause of users as statutory enable is required for such action, the Centre also argued that Twitter has no locus standi to file the plea as it cann’t speak on behalf of its account holders.
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#Twitter #plea #Centres #order #block #accounts #Karnataka #reserves #judgment
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
Microsoft announces ‘Copilot for Viva’ to grow workforce engagement

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New Delhi: Microsoft has announced “Copilot for Viva”, along with the introduction of “Viva Glint”, to help organisations create a more engaged and productive workforce.
Viva is Microsoft’s employee experience platform, which integrates goals, staff communications, learning, workplace analytics, and feedback.
Copilot in Microsoft Viva will begin rolling out to customers later in 2023, while the company will start to roll out Viva Glint to customers in July 2023.

With Copilot, Microsoft Viva takes advantage of next-generation AI to accelerate this new performance equation, where engagement and productivity together lead to better business outcomes and success.
Other than Viva Glint, Copilot is being introduced in Viva Goals, Viva Engage, Viva Learning, Viva Topics and more.
Viva Glint is a survey tool that helps measure and improve employee engagement.
Moreover, “Viva Goals” simplifies goal setting by assisting leaders through the process of generating objectives and key results (OKRs), as well as goal management throughout the company.

“Viva Engage” assists leaders in creating captivating and inspiring posts using simple suggestions or trending topics from workplace forums and storyline talks, while, “Viva Learning” provides curated learning collections and succinct knowledge summaries targeted to individual tasks or development needs, making it easier for leaders to help skill and train the workforce.

Further, the company said that employees can utilise “Viva Topics” to learn more about significant topics and see related topics and projects through a conversational interface.
Copilot in Answers will help users construct questions with the appropriate specificity and completeness as well as extracts the pertinent topics to help categorise the question.
According to the company, Copilot in Viva is based on the Microsoft 365 Copilot System, which leverages the potential of large language models (LLMs) and combines it with the data from the Microsoft Graph and Viva apps.
This innovative approach provides leaders with an entirely novel way to gain insights into and engage with their workforce.
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#Microsoft #announces #Copilot #Viva #grow #workforce #engagement
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
Fire in Amaravati destroys construction material kept for capital works

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Amaravati: Construction material purchased for development of Andhra Pradesh state capital at Amaravati were gutted in a huge fire on Friday.
The incident occurred near Nekkallu village in Thullur mandal of Guntur district. The fire destroyed plastic pipes and other material dumped in open land for various works as part of development of the state capital.
As the material was dumped there for the last four years due to construction work coming to a halt, beehives were formed in the pipelines and other items. Some people had lit a fire to extract honey. Due to high temperature and wind, the fire spread and engulfed the material.

Huge flames and smoke were seen even from a long distance. Fire tenders rushed to the area to douse the flame. The incident is stated to have led to a huge loss.
The state capital development works at Amaravati came to halt in 2019 as YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) soon after coming to power decided to have three state capitals.
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#Fire #Amaravati #destroys #construction #material #capital #works

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 21, 2023
German government, trade unions agree on wage deal for public workers

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The German government, local authorities and trade unions reached a deal late Saturday on higher pay scales for the country’s 2.5 million public-sector workers, staving off the possibility of indefinite strikes.
“We have accommodated the unions as far as we can responsibly do under difficult budgetary circumstances,” said Nancy Faeser, the country’s interior minister. Trade union Ver.di had called for significant raises as the country, like many others across the Continent, grapples with high inflation.
Among other things, the deal entails tax-free one-time payments totalling €3,000 in several stages, with the first €1,240 to be handed out in June, followed by €220 each month from July to February 2024. In March 2024, monthly pay for all public workers will increase by €200, followed by a 5.5 percent salary increase, with a minimum increase of €340.
The agreement runs for 24 months.
The compromise is largely based on a proposal by arbitrators who were called in after talks broke down last month. Ver.di had initially asked for a 10.5 percent raise and at least €500 more pay over a twelve-month period.
Frank Werneke, the union’s chair, said the negotiations had not been easy. “With our decision to make this compromise, we went to our pain threshold,” he said.
Municipalities in the country fear the deal may pose new financial challenges for them. Prior to the negotiations, Karin Welge, president of the Federation of Municipal Employers’ Associations, had estimated the deal could create additional costs of €17 billion for cities and municipalities.

The agreement sets an end to months of negotiations. In a string of walkouts, employee representatives in recent months had disrupted public administration and other public services. At the end of last month, Ver.di, together with the national rail and transport union, brought rail and air traffic to a halt across the country in a large-scale strike.

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#German #government #trade #unions #agree #wage #deal #public #workers
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

April 21, 2023
Baltics blast China diplomat for questioning sovereignty of ex-Soviet states

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The Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are demanding an explanation from Beijing after China’s top envoy to France questioned the independence of former Soviet countries like Ukraine.
Lu Shaye, China’s ambassador to France, said in an interview on Friday with French television network LCI that former Soviet countries have no “effective status” in international law.
Asked whether Crimea belongs to Ukraine, Lu said that “it depends how you perceive the problem,” arguing that it was historically part of Russia and offered to Ukraine by former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
“In international law, even these ex-Soviet Union countries do not have the status, the effective [status] in international law, because there is no international agreement to materialize their status as a sovereign country,” he said.
The comments sparked outrage among Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia — three former Soviet countries.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs said in a tweet that his ministry summoned “the authorized chargé d’affaires of the Chinese embassy in Riga on Monday to provide explanations. This step is coordinated with Lithuania and Estonia.”
He called the comments “completely unacceptable,” adding: “We expect explanation from the Chinese side and complete retraction of this statement.”

Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s foreign minister, called the comments “false” and “a misinterpretation of history.”

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s foreign minister, shared the interview on Twitter with the comment: “If anyone is still wondering why the Baltic States don’t trust China to “broker peace in Ukraine,” here’s a Chinese ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and our countries’ borders have no legal basis.”
Kyiv also pushed back strongly against the ambassador’s comments.
“It is strange to hear an absurd version of the ‘history of Crimea’ from a representative of a country that is scrupulous about its thousand-year history,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, said in a tweet on Sunday. “If you want to be a major political player, do not parrot the propaganda of Russian outsiders.”
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the remarks “unacceptable” in a tweet on Sunday. “The EU can only suppose these declarations do not represent China’s official policy,” Borrell said.
France in a statement on Sunday stated its “full solidarity” with all the allied countries affected, which it said had acquired their independence “after decades of oppression,” according to Reuters. “On Ukraine specifically, it was internationally recognized within borders including Crimea in 1991 by the entire international community, including China,” a foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The foreign ministry spokesperson also called on China to clarify whether the ambassador’s statement reflects its position or not.
The row comes ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, where relations with China are on the agenda.

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#Baltics #blast #China #diplomat #questioning #sovereignty #exSoviet #states
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

April 21, 2023
Russia expels at least 20 German diplomats

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The Russian government is kicking several German diplomats out of the country in an alleged tit-for-tat move, its foreign ministry said on Saturday.
“The German authorities have decided on yet another mass expulsion of employees of Russian diplomatic missions in Germany. We strongly condemn these actions of Berlin, which continues to defiantly destroy the entire array of Russian-German relations,” the ministry said in a statement, arguing that Germany’s actions were “hostile.”
The foreign affairs ministry did not specify how many diplomats it would expel, although ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told state-run television Zvezda that Moscow had decided to expel “more than 20,” according to AFP.
Russia said it took the decision in response to Germany ordering a “mass expulsion” of Russian diplomats, without specifying further details. The German foreign ministry confirmed to German outlet Deutschlandfunk only that it had been in contact with Russian authorities regarding personnel questions.
Germany had been informed of the move at the beginning of the month, the Russian foreign ministry added in the statement.
Since the war in Ukraine began, tensions between Moscow and Berlin have increased. In April last year, the German government expelled some 40 Russian diplomats from the country.

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#Russia #expels #German #diplomats
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

April 21, 2023