The Indian Panorama

Tag: Facebook

  • MESSENGER APP GETS NEW POWERFUL CAMERA

    MESSENGER APP GETS NEW POWERFUL CAMERA

    To help make conversations better, Facebook on Friday launched a new, faster and easier-to-use camera with art and special effects in its Messenger app that will be rolled out globally over the coming days.

    “We have seen that the way people are messaging is becoming much more visual. In fact, over 2.5 billion emojis, photos, stickers and videos are sent every day on Messenger,” the company said in a blog.

    “In some ways the camera is now replacing the keyboard. As more people use Messenger in their everyday lives, we wanted to make it faster, simpler and more fun to send photos and videos. So we built the new Messenger camera,” Facebook said.

    The new camera is quicker than previous versions which makes it easier for users to capture and share moments as they happen.

    Whether you are already in a conversation or have just opened up the app, you will see the shutter button centre in the screen. A tap takes photo and a long press records a video. The social media giant also introduced new art and special effects. “We are especially excited to debut 3D masks and special effects, which make it super easy to apply an artistic filter to your full screen photo and to turn your world into a work of art,” the company said.

  • Is live video the next big thing?

    Is live video the next big thing?

    If you spend hours navigating various social media platforms —and that’s all of us, really — you may have noticed something oddly familiar. All of them — Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram — have been quietly rolling out features that push you to go live and share your experience with the world.

    The latest is Instagram’s update to its stories feature, which lets you go live from any location, and as soon as you are done, the video disappears. “When you’re done, your live story disappears from the app, so you can feel more comfortable sharing anything, anytime,” the photo sharing app said in its blog, earlier this week. The feature is yet to be rolled out to all regions.

    But the question begging to be asked is: why has video suddenly taken over words, even as little as 140 characters?

    The answer lies in numbers. According to Facebook, users are already watching 100 million hours of video per day on the social media platform. And that’s just Facebook. As of March 2016, over 200 million broadcasts have been created on Twitter’s Periscope. According to a 2015 report by Cisco, video content will account for 80 per cent of global internet traffic by 2019.

    Don’t be surprised if, someday, all you see are videos on your social media feeds, instead of personal status updates.

    The lure of live

    For decades, television has taken us closer to live action: be it sporting events, the Gulf War, or the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Now, with the way social media is influencing our consumption, the live action is slowly shifting online. Take, for instance, Cheddar, an online news start-up that’s betting big on Facebook’s live feature. Every day, its anchors go live from the New York Stock Exchange floor, with the latest news on business, technology, and start-ups. Think of it as an informal CNBC for millennials.

    Globally, Buzzfeed is a leader in video content creation. In April this year, the web publishing giant made a video of two employees trying to make a watermelon explode with rubber bands. And at one point, more than 8,00,000 people were watching it live on their phones and desktops. Another video that went viral was of a police officer talking a man down from an attempted suicide, somewhere in the US. Posted by NowThis, a video network for the mobile generation, it got 46 million views.

    Source: HT

  • WhatsApp launches video calling to take on Google Duo, Skype

    WhatsApp launches video calling to take on Google Duo, Skype

    WhatsApp will launch video calling service on its app, a move that will help the popular messaging platform compete with the likes of Skype, Apple’s FaceTime and the recently launched Google Duo.

    The new feature will be rolled out to WhatsApp’s over one billion users over the next few days.

    “This has been in the works for some time and we are glad that we are launching the service from India, which has our largest userbase. Like voice calls, video calls are also going to be dynamic i.e. depending on the quality of network, the video will adjust accordingly,” WhatsApp Head of Business Neeraj Arora said.

    He added that like text and voice calling features, video calls will also be encrypted end-to-end to ensure safety and privacy of its users.

    “With the new update, users simply can choose between a voice or a video call and go ahead with the call,” he said.

    Arora did not give any estimates about the volume of video calls WhatsApp expects to facilitate in the coming days.

    In June, WhatsApp had announced that its platform saw over 100 million voice calls are made every day.

    “In line with the user base, India is one of the most active voice calling countries for us,” he added.

    Facebook-owned WhatsApp has almost become the default messaging application for people in countries like India and Brazil.

  • FACEBOOK LAUNCHES REVAMPED SAFETY CENTRE TO TACKLE BULLYING

    FACEBOOK LAUNCHES REVAMPED SAFETY CENTRE TO TACKLE BULLYING

    Social network company Facebook on Monday launched its revamped safety centre to help users tackle issues of online bullying, hacking and other cyber frauds.

    “We believe safety is a conversation and a shared responsibility among all of us. That’s why we provide the information, tools and resources you’ll find here,” a post on the revamped safety centre, called Family Center, reads.

    Facebook, which has an active user base of 155 million in India, also said that the Safety Center will be available in over 50 languages including Hindi and can be accessed via a smartphone, desktop or tablet.

    “The Facebook Safety Center includes easy to follow videos to help people understand the tools we offer to control their experience on Facebook, as well as numerous tips and resources for safe and secure sharing,” Facebook said in a statement adding that the update “also makes available Facebook’s Bullying Prevention Hub to everyone across the world. The Hub is a resource for teens, parents and educators seeking guidance on how to prevent and address bullying”.

    The Prevention Hub was developed with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence in 2013 and Facebook says that it is already working with nearly 60 partners around the world.

    Facebook claims that the website has lot more details to keep your account safe but here are some tips that Facebook suggests to keep your social media account safe:

    Lock down your login

    Login approvals (or two-step verification) are the best and easiest way to keep your Facebook account from getting hacked. When you log in from a new computer, phone, or web browser, you’ll enter a code that you get on your phone to help make sure it’s really you.

    How to do it? To turn on login approvals, go to “More” and tap “Settings.” From there, select Security Settings, and check the box next to “Login Approvals.”

    Let us know when you see something that shouldn’t be on Facebook

    If you see something abusive or harmful that you think should not be on Facebook, you can report it to us by clicking the report link (typically an upside down arrow in the top right of a post). Our global team works 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to review things that you report and remove anything that violates our community standards. We don’t include any information about the person who filed the report when we reach out to the person who posted it. If you’ve reported something, you have the option to check the status of your report from your Support Inbox. Keep in mind that only you can see your Support Inbox.

    Understand who you’re sharing with

    Whenever you update your status, share photos or post anything on Facebook, you can select who sees what you share by using the Audience Selector tool. You can choose to share with everyone, just your friends or even a customized audience. When you create a customized audience, you can selectively share with, or hide something from, specific people. You also can change the audience for a post after you’ve shared it. To change the audience for something you’ve posted, tap the top right of the post to edit the post’s privacy setting and select a new audience. Remember, when you post something on another person’s profile, that person controls who can view the post. Additionally, anyone who gets tagged in a post may see it, along with their friends.

    Check who can tag you in posts

    When it comes to tagging, you can review the content you’re tagged in on Facebook. Tag review lets you approve or dismiss tags that your friends may add to your posts. When you turn this option on, a tag that someone else adds to your post will not appear until you approve it. We also offer timeline review. Timeline review lets you choose whether posts you’re tagged in appear on your Timeline. When you turn this option on, posts you’re tagged in will not appear on your Timeline until you approve them.To turn on tag review or timeline review, tap the icon with three lines, and then tap Settings, then Account Settings and select Timeline and Tagging. From here you can manage everything from tags people add, to who can add and see things on your timeline – putting you in control of who you connect with and how you connect with them. Source: HT

  • Encrypt your chats on Facebook Messenger now

    Encrypt your chats on Facebook Messenger now

    After the popular mobile messaging platform WhatsApp, parent company Facebook has reportedly rolled out end-to-end encryption for its Messenger users.

    People can toggle the “Secret Conversations” feature on in settings to enable end-to-end encryption on Messenger, technology website Engadget reported on Wednesday.

    But here is the catch. Unlike WhatsApp, where all messages are automatically encrypted once you turn the feature on, nearly one billion monthly active Messenger users will have to activate end-to-end encryption for every new message.

    “Once folks download the new version, they’ll see the option to tap “secret” in the top right corner of the “new message” screen. Both sender and receiver need the latest edition of the app to enable the encryption,” the report added.

    In the case of WhatsApp, users need to have an updated version to ensure that their chats are end-to-end encrypted.

    “Messages you send to this chat and calls are now secured with end-to-end encryption. Tap for more info,” is the message that WhatsApp users currently receive.

    The encryption ensures that users’ messages, videos and photos can’t be read by anyone else — not even WhatsApp.

  • US Army calls ‘Trump a liar’ on Twitter; apologizes and deletes tweet later

    Washington (TIP): The US Army issued an apology Wednesday after its official Twitter account posted a tweet saying Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump “lies once every 3 minutes, 15 seconds.”

    The post, which included a link to an article on TheNewCivilRightsMovement.com, was quickly removed Tuesday but not before it was seen by other social media users.

    A screenshot of the errant tweet was posted on the “US Army WTF! Moments” Facebook page.

    14449812_10154668482173606_5633728909347515052_n-1The Army said that the errant tweet was due to a mistake by a manager of its social media account.

    “An employee responsible for the Army’s social media accounts mistakenly posted a political article to the Army’s Twitter page that was intended for her personal account,” according to an official US Army statement provided to CNN.

    “The post is not the official position of the US Army,” the statement added, saying that the employee responsible has had their access to the Army’s social media account suspended.

    “We apologize for any confusion this may have caused our followers.”

  • ZUCKERBERG FOUNDATION TO INVEST IN INDIA’S BYJU’S

    ZUCKERBERG FOUNDATION TO INVEST IN INDIA’S BYJU’S

    BENGALURU (TIP): The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), founded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, is making its first investment in Asia in Bengaluru-based Byju’s, a learning app. CZI will co-invest in the $50-million round in Byju’s along with Sequoia Capital, Sofina+ , Lightspeed Ventures and Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times Group. Byju’s had raised $75 million from Sequoia and Sofina in March this year.

    The latest round of funding is said to have valued the company at around $500 million. The company declined to confirm the valuation. Byju’s will use the $125-million funding corpus of the last two rounds for international acquisitions and expansion in other English-speaking countries, its founder Byju Raveendran said. He said the company has generated Rs 120-crore revenue in the first five months of the current fiscal year and the India operations are making profits.

    “The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative supports innovative models of learning wherever they are around the world,” said Vivian Wu of CZI, who will join Byju’s board.

    “Education can give young people and their families a path to a better future, and families in India work hard to give their children that chance. Byju’s represents an opportunity to help even more students develop a love for learning and unlock their potential.”

    Satyan Gajwani, vice-chairman of Times Internet, said: “Byju and team are democratizing access to high quality education. Times have always believed in the power of digital education and its potential social impact for India. We are excited to join him in his journey, along with Mark and others.”

    Byju’s was founded in 2011 as a test preparation business, helping CAT aspirants crack the exam. It expanded into other competitive exams and for many years operated through physical classrooms. It also moved on to video classes a few years ago. But the big explosion in reach happened with the launch of a mobile app last year. The learning app saw over 5.5 million downloads and 250,000 paid annual subscribers within a year of its launch. The app helps in effective learning programmes for students from classes 4 to 12 and competitive exams like JEE, NEET, CAT, IAS, GRE and GMAT.

  • Tulsi Gabbard Called ‘Devil’ By #Republican Opponent and targeted for her Hindu faith

    Tulsi Gabbard Called ‘Devil’ By #Republican Opponent and targeted for her Hindu faith

    WASHINGTON:  Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu to be elected to the US Congress, has been targeted for her Hindu faith by her Republican opponent in the Congressional elections, prompting sharp reactions from the Hindu-American community members.

    35-year-old Democratic Representative Gabbard is seeking her third-term re-election from Hawaii against Republican candidate Angela Kaaihue.

    Kaaihue last week described support to her as “worship(ping) the devil” and called the Democratic Party the “Devil Democratic State.”

    “Some Christians say, a vote for Tulsi Gabbard is a vote for Satan, the devil do you agree or disagree?” Kaaihue alleged in a Facebook post, which has now been deleted. This infuriated the Hindu-American community. The Hawaii Republican Party in a statement urged party members to disavow Kaaihue for her attacking Gabbard for her religion and faith.

    The chairman of Kaaihue’s party also condemned the attack, calling it “vulgar” and “religiously intolerant”. “Her vulgar, racially bigoted, and religiously intolerant descriptions of Democratic Party candidates are offensive, shameful and unacceptable in public discourse,” said Fritz Rohlfing, chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party.

    “Attacks on Congresswoman Gabbard, especially on her Hindu faith, are a reflection of religious prejudices that originate from an impoverished view of a religion and culture that is practiced by nearly one sixth of the world’s population,” alleged Sandeep Dedage, director Hindu Education Foundation USA (HEF).

    “It’s shocking that in 2016 any political candidate in the US faces such absurdly ignorant and bigoted personal attacks on their Constitutionally guaranteed right to practice the faith of their choice,” said Rishi Bhutada, Hindu American Foundation board member.

    “Furthermore, these attacks clearly show that Hinduphobia and religious bigotry is very much alive and kicking in the United States, even if not all incidents of Hindu phobia are so direct and open as what we’ve seen here,” he said.

    According to local media, Kaaihue has refused to take back her words and attacked her party chief, asking him to be cautious because he is attacking the “messenger of God.”

  • Intel Acquires Indian American-led San Diego-based Firm Nervana Systems

    Intel Acquires Indian American-led San Diego-based Firm Nervana Systems

    San Diego based deep learning startup Nervana Systems, headed by Indian Americans, has been acquired by Intel as per media reports.

    According to media reports – Intel is buying deep learning startup Nervana Systems for $350 million, while several reports have indicated the price exceeded $400 million..

    Intel will use the acquisition to give them a leg up in Artificial Intelligence solutions.

    The San Diego-based company is two years old with 48 employees and had raised almost $25 million prior to the sale.

    In a blog post, Nervana CEO and co-founder Naveen Rao specified that his company is intending to continue development on efforts related to its deep learning framework, platform and hardware. The San Diego-based team of 48 will all join Intel’s Data Center Group once the deal has closed.

    “[Nervana’s] IP and expertise in accelerating deep learning algorithms will expand Intel’s capabilities in the field of AI,” Diane Bryant, EVP and GM of the Data Center Group at Intel said in a blog post. “We will apply Nervana’s software expertise to further optimize the Intel Math Kernel Library and its integration into industry standard frameworks.”

    Furthermore, Bryant specified that the startup’s expertise would “advance Intel’s AI portfolio and enhance the deep learning performance and TCO of our Intel Xeon and Intel Xeon Phi processors.”

    The two-year-old startup had raised nearly $25 million from investors including DFJ, Data Collective, Fuel Capital, Lux Capital and Allen & Co. The company captured attention early-on with its hardware-centric approach to AI solutions and has since pursued technologies aimed at training neural nets.

    Data Collective Managing Partner Matt Ocko, who directed the firm’s Series A lead investment in Nervana had nothing but praises to sing of the company’s potential.

    “Intel didn’t just buy something that is simultaneously faster and more power-efficient than Nvidia,” he said. “Intel bought something that it can sell on boards and systems and even supercomputers to its customers ready-to-go that out-punches anything that Facebook or Google or Baidu or Microsoft has.”

    Ocko believes that there was little standing in Nervana’s way from continuing to make waves in the space and going on to be worth “multiple billions,” but Intel’s scale and prestige offered Nervana the quickest route to getting their tech into people’s hands as quickly as possible.

    “This thing was a freight train,” Ocko told me. “[The founders] wanted to get the technology to the maximum number of people at the maximum speed and Intel came in and said, come on in, we’re going to give you guys the world’s best semiconductor process at the biggest scale with an effectively unlimited budget, marketing, customer support, you name it.” Ocko detailed.

    “And no one says no to Intel.”

     

     

  • FACEBOOK TEAM BRINGS LIGHT-BASED INTERNET CLOSER TO REALITY

    FACEBOOK TEAM BRINGS LIGHT-BASED INTERNET CLOSER TO REALITY

    Scientists at the Facebook’s Connectivity Lab have developed a new way to detect light signals travelling through the air, an advance that may lead to fast optical wireless networks capable of delivering internet service to remote places. High-speed wired communication networks today use lasers to carry information through optical fibres, but wireless networks are based on radio frequencies or microwaves. “A large fraction of people don’t connect to the internet because the wireless communications infrastructure is not available were they live, mostly in very rural areas of the world,” said Tobias Tiecke, who leads the research team. Light-based wireless communication, also called free-space optical communications, offers a promising way to bring the internet to areas where optical fibres and cell towers can be challenging to deploy in a cost-effective way.

    Using laser light to carry information across the atmosphere can potentially offer very high bandwidths and data capacity, but one of the primary challenges has been how to precisely point a very small laser beam carrying the data at a tiny light detector that is some distance away.

  • US Documents Reveal Pak-Based JeM’s Involvement In Pathankot Attack

    US Documents Reveal Pak-Based JeM’s Involvement In Pathankot Attack

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has recently received documents from the United States that support India’s claim regarding Pakistani terror group, Jaish-e-Mohammad’s involvement in the Pathankot IAF base attack.

    According to a report in Times of India, over a 1000 pages of chats and conversations between JeM handler Kashif Jaan and the four fidayeen (identified as Nasir Hussain, Punjab province, Abu Bakar, Gujranwala, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum, both from Sindh) are included in these documents.

    Reportedly, the conversations recorded prove that the attack was carried out from Pakistan. The handlers maintained regular contact with the four fidayeen members.

    The Daily reported that the conversations of Kashif Jaan with other office holders of the Pakistan-based JeM were also contained in these documents.

    The Facebook account that was in use by Kashif Jaan was also connected to the cell number that the attackers used to make calls from Pathankot following the abduction of Punjab police SP Salwinder Singh.

    Another Facebook account under the name ‘Mulla Daadullah’ was connected to a number that the terrorists had called.

    WhatsApp chats amongst the terrorists were also included in the documents that are now being analysed by the NIA.

    These accounts are said to have been accessed around and during the time of the Pathankot attack. The IP addresses used were found to be those of telecom firms (Telenor and Pakistan TeleCommunications Company Ltd, Islamabad)

    The Al-Rahmat Trust, that funds the JeM, was also contacted by these mobile numbers discovered by the US upon the request of the NIA.

    The Pathankot Air Force Station was infiltrated on the night of January 1 to conduct the attack the next day.

    The ensuing encounter resulted in the deaths of seven security personnel and four terrorists.

    India had asserted that JeM chief, Masood Azhar had devised the attack and seeks action against the JeM.

    A list of a total of 300 questions was submitted to Pakistan along with besides soliciting voice samples of Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf and Khayyam Baber (mother of slain terrorist Nasir). It is reported that Nasir had spoken to his mother during the attack.

    Pakistan’s investigation team had visited India in March to probe the incident.

    The strike had advanced the tensions between the two countries and the India-Pakistan Foreign Secretary-level talks was also postponed as a result of the attack.

  • NYCEDC Seeks New Tenant for Hunts Point Food Distribution Center

    NYCEDC Seeks New Tenant for Hunts Point Food Distribution Center

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) has announced the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) from qualified food manufacturing, wholesale and/or distribution companies to lease 2.18 acres including a built 27,000 square foot industrial space in the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center (HPFDC) in the Bronx. RFP respondents should submit proposals that will assist in bolstering economic growth within the HPFDC and will generate quality food-related industrial sector jobs that benefit the wider Bronx community. The full RFP is available here.

    “We committed $150 million dollars to make Hunts Point Market a more modern and resilient job hub for the people of the South Bronx,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Today we’re make good on that commitment, by investing in the Fish Market so we can bring attract a new business and even more good jobs to Hunts Point.”

    “The continued expansion of job-intensive food manufacturing and distribution businesses in Hunts Point exemplifies the de Blasio administration’s commitment to building a sustainable and resilient 21st century economy that expands business opportunities and creates jobs that help New Yorkers thrive,” said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer.

    “We welcome any Request for Proposals (RFP) that will help in the continued growth of Hunts Point and the entire Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “The Bronx is the home to perhaps the largest food market in the world, employing thousands of Bronxites and residents from all over the region. Finding more tenants for the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center (HPFDC) not only creates and maintain jobs for The Bronx, it will reduce the cost to consumers by bringing food manufacturers and distributors closer to the food source while also providing restaurants with fresher products. This proposal will also ease the economic burden on those existing companies doing business at the market. This could be a victory for both the New York City consumer and for our Bronx business sector in the Hunts Point neighborhood, and my office will continue its efforts to drive new business growth in The Bronx at not only this market, but in every corner of the borough.”

    “The opportunity for another business to locate in the New Fulton Fish Market and the jobs and economic growth this creates are welcome additions in the South Bronx,” said Councilmember Rafael Salamanca. “We are very proud that a much of our region’s fresh foods come from right here in Hunts Point, and we know that any new additions to the Hunts Point Market will only add to its success.”

    “The new RFP at The New Fulton Fish Market in Hunts Point will provide the opportunity for a tenant from the food distribution industry to create jobs and help grow our local economy. This new tenant will help to create living wage jobs opportunities for low-income and disadvantaged workers, including through contracting for minority and women-owned businesses. I encourage all qualified businesses to apply and help bring more economic opportunity to the Bronx through inclusive initiatives like this one,” said Congressman José Serrano.

    “I am delighted to hear that additional city owned space is being made available to food manufacturers and distributors in Hunts Point. The Bronx is quickly becoming a magnet for food related industries due to the proximity of the largest food market in the world as well as easy access to interstate highways. This effort will add to our growing work force. Everybody wins!” said Marlene Cintron, President of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation. “We welcome our new neighbor and look forward to our working together on matters of mutually beneficial growth and development for our businesses” Richie Klein, President The New Fulton Fish Market Cooperative at Hunts Point, Inc.

    The HPFDC industrial park is comprised of wholesale food distribution businesses and other food-related enterprises, providing excellent access to regional highway and rail networks that make it one of the City’s best-positioned industrial locations. The available space is a portion of a modern food facility built in 2005; the remainder of the facility is home to the HPFDC’s New Fulton Fish Market (NFFM). The RFP site will be fully separated from the NFFM’s occupied space by an internal demising wall and has a private parking lot with separate egress/ingress enclosed within a chain-linked fence.

    Release of this RFP is the first phase of Mayor de Blasio’s commitment towards investing $150 million to fortify and modernize the Hunt Point Market infrastructure over the next 12 years.

    Respondents should be a food-related industrial use compliant with New York State Agricultural and Markets law and must demonstrate financial capacity to pay market rental rates for the space and their pro-rated share of any related operating expenses and capital expenditures at the premises. Respondents’ proposed use should not directly compete with the NFFM’s on-site comparison shopping of wholesale fish and seafood. Proposals must include provisions to minimize negative environmental impacts on the Hunts Point residential community and industrial area.

    As part of the City’s efforts to expand economic and workforce opportunities, responses to this RFP must comply with a comprehensive workforce and procurement program that supports communities and helps create job opportunities, especially those that enable low-income New Yorkers to participate in the City’s economic growth. This includes the utilization of NYCEDC’s HireNYC program for disadvantaged workers, as well as contracting goals for minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE), and requirements with respect to living wage and prevailing wage, as applicable. The selected respondent will enter into a direct lease with the City.

    Responses to the RFP are due on September 23, 2016. Information about a site visit can be found on the RFP website. NYCEDC will conduct a site visit for potential respondents at 9:00 a.m. August 9, 2016. For information on the latest real estate development and procurement opportunities available throughout all five boroughs, click here.

    About NYCEDC:
    New York City Economic Development Corporation is the City’s primary vehicle for promoting economic growth in each of the five boroughs. NYCEDC’s mission is to stimulate growth through expansion and redevelopment programs that encourage investment, generate prosperity and strengthen the City’s competitive position. NYCEDC serves as an advocate to the business community by building relationships with companies that allow them to take advantage of New York City’s many opportunities. Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or visit our blog to learn more about NYCEDC projects and initiatives.

  • Naperville Indian Community Outreach to host 2nd India Day Parade

    Naperville Indian Community Outreach to host 2nd India Day Parade

    NAPERVILLE, IL (TIP): Naperville Indian Community Outreach in association with City of Naperville and Indian Consulate General will be hosting the second grand India Day Parade and Celebration on August 14, 2016 (Sunday) to mark the 70th anniversary of India’s independence. Several thousand people from Chicago and the suburbs are expected to attend the event which is being held in downtown Naperville.

    With Bollywood celebrity Sunidhi Chauhan as the Grand Marshall, the India Day Parade will serve as a showcase of India’s rich and diverse culture with estimated 100 parade entries. Colorfully decorated floats organized by Indian cultural associations, local businesses and political organizations along with multiple colorful dance performers will be the highlight. Spectators will be treated to a rich variety of Indian cuisine, ethnic arts, apparel, and jewelry. This event has the distinction of being the 2nd India Day Parade backed by any city in America.

    The Parade will be followed by a concert headlined by top Bollywood singer from India, Sunidhi Chauhan and her troupe. This concert is historical as this will be the first India Day in America with a concert of this kind with the free entry for everyone.

    The ICO is a non-partisan and a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and promote the cultural heritage and contributions of Indian Americans while promoting their integration in the growth of Naperville. Its chairman, Krishna Bansal, has been appointed by, and reports to the Mayor of Naperville.

    Bansal said that his team and him are excited to have the ICO organize this pioneering event. “Indian Americans are now a significant part of Naperville’s population, both in numbers and impact,” he said. The community which saw a dramatic growth since the nineties, now comprises of over 10 percent of the suburb’s total population. Moreover, with the recent influx of information technology workers and other professionals from India, over 70 percent are first generation immigrants.

    Naperville Indian community outreach 750 Shoreline Dr. STE 100, Aurora, IL 60504 (630) 300-0345 www.napervilleindian.com |www.facebook.com/IndianCommunityOutreach

    Viral Shah, board member and treasurer of ICO described that several South Asian community leaders, restaurants, businesses and cultural organizations have come forward to support the event. While Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico and Consul General of India in Chicago, Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, will be chief guests, Sunidhi Chauhan, Indian’s sensational singer will be the Parade Marshal.

    Among the other dignitaries invited and are attending include the Governor, Senator, Congressman State and Local elected representatives and prominent leaders of the Naperville community.

    Chirag Jani, board member of ICO and lead of event logistics explained that parade will begin at Naperville Central High School in Naperville at 5:00 PM and end at Knoch Park, 724 S West St, Naperville, IL 60540 where the celebration/concert will kick off. While providing outline of the event, he emphasized this to be an excellent opportunity for local businesses and groups to partner, participate and gain visibility.

    The parade may be seen as a symbol of the rapid growth of the Indian American community in the Chicago suburbs. From 1990 to 2010, Indian-Americans became the largest Asian ethnic group in Illinois, according to data from the last census. Demographers and Indian community leaders say they expect that the figures will increase even more as highly educated Indians continue to fill jobs in the computer industry and change the face of the suburbs.

    Ashfaq Syed, Member of the Organizing Committee said Naperville, ranked as one of the most desirable American cities for a family, is home to more than 15,000 Indian-Americans, making it the suburb with the largest & growing population of the community in the area outside Chicago. Indian-Americans have been contributing greatly in the fields of business, medicine, information technology and as the leaders of large corporations.

    Additional information about the parade and celebration including applications to participate in the parade and celebrations as well as sponsorships is available on our web site www.napervilleindian.com.

    (Photographs and Press release by: Asian Media USA)

  • Woman named Isis banned from Facebook, asked to prove identity

    Woman named Isis banned from Facebook, asked to prove identity

    LONDON: A 27-year-old UK woman named Isis was denied access to her Facebook account and asked to send an identity proof by the social networking site as part of its stringent policy to erase all traces of Islamic State terror outfit known by its acronym ISIS.

    Isis Thomas, a resident of Bristol in Britain, was asked to change her name after logging on to the site on June 27.

    “I just tried to log in and when I did, the password went through and this box came up asking me something about changing my name. I was on Facebook as Isis Worcester, because when I first signed up years ago I didn’t use my real name, which is Isis Thomas, because of where I worked at the time,” Isis said.

    (AP)

  • White cop kills black man, girlfriend streams it live

    White cop kills black man, girlfriend streams it live

    WASHINGTON (TIP): America’s shame was live broadcast to the world on a chilling July 7 evening with yet another shooting involving a white cop targeting a black male.

    The 9 minutes and 30 seconds video feed that an African-American woman streamed on Facebook Live after police shot her boyfriend when they were pulled over for a broken taillight is so graphic that even radio stations, let alone TV networks, used it sparingly with caution advisories.

    The blood that steeped across the young man’s white tshirt may well have been suffusing the continental expanse of the US that has repeatedly seen cold-blooded police excesses on African-American males.

    The live feed, which Diamond Reynolds started broadcasting on social media moments after a cop shot her boyfriend Philando Castile on a Minnesota street, shows her calmly relating the events even as the hysterical policeman, his voice quavering with tension despite the weapon he wields, asks her to keep her hands in sight. “I will, sir, I will,” she says respectfully, as she pans the camera to her boyfriend’s bloodied arm and chest.

    She says they were pulled over for a broken tail light and the officer shot him as he was reaching for his wallet in his back pocket to show his driver’s licence. He had told the officer he was in possession of a licensed firearm. “I told you not to reach for it… I told to get his hand open,” the cop screams hysterically. “You told him to get his ID, sir,” the woman explains with astonishing calm, considering the scene beside her, “…his driver’s licence.” Then, right there, the life goes out of her boyfriend. “Oh my god, please don’t l tell me he’s dead,” Reynolds says, still more in control of herself than the feverish, panicked cop screaming. “Please don’t tell me my boyfriend went just like that. Please don’t tell me lord that he’s gone… please don’t tell me. Please officer don’t tell me that you just did this to him.” She starts to break down.

    “You just shot four bullets into him, sir. He was just getting his licence and registration out, sir,” she cries. A young girl can be seen and is heard saying at one point, t “I’m scared, Mommy.”

    Reynolds is then asked to get out of the car by another officer and walk backwards towards them and drop down on her knees. It’s a scene tens of thousands of black people in Americans know all too well, and it happens all too often. But even going by the blood-thirsty matchismo that American men in uniform -particularly its white cops -show towards African-Americans, this appeared, for all purposes, a cold-blooded execution.

  • Cleric suspended after selfies with Pakistan’s ‘Kim Kardashian’

    Cleric suspended after selfies with Pakistan’s ‘Kim Kardashian’

    ISLAMABAD (TIP): A high-profile Pakistani cleric who posed for selfies with a controversial model famed for her suggestive photos has been suspended from a senior government committee, the country’s religious affairs ministry said, rebuking him for his behaviour.

    Mufti Abdul Qavi was removed June 22 from the country’s moon-sighting committee which decides when the ongoing holy month of Ramzan begins and ends, according to a notification issued by the ministry and seen by AFP.

    The suspension comes after he was widely ridiculed when social media starlet Qandeel Baloch — a deeply polarising figure in the conservative Muslim country — uploaded the pictures earlier this week along with a video of herself with the preacher, wearing his hat and pouting.

    Baloch, a Kim Kardashian type figure who frequently posts semi-nude selfies, later called Qavi “a blot on the name of Islam” and accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

    Qavi was also suspended as a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf opposition party, led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, a former socialite who became more religious after his retirement as a sportsman.

    “Mufti Qavi’s fate will be decided after the opinion of the (National religious scholars) Council regarding his selfies and behaviour,” a spokesman for the ministry told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper Wednesday.

    Social media users expressed their amusement over the affair. “Qandeel Baloch for President,” said Urooj Zia on Facebook.

    In the video which was uploaded on Baloch’s Facebook account, Qavi is seen saying he will guide the starlet on religious matters and she had agreed to become his student.

    He has also said the meeting took place at her request and told AFP Thursday that she had apologised for the inconvenience caused by the episode.

    But Baloch said the cleric had sought her number after the two had appeared on a TV panel together and that he had behaved inappropriately toward her.

    “I thought I would expose him as he is in reality,” she told AFP, adding: “He is a different person alone and different when he has his followers around him. “He is a blot on the name of Islam. Who is he to claim to be a guardian of Islam?”

     

  • BEDTIME RULES TO SAVE YOUR MARRIAGE

    BEDTIME RULES TO SAVE YOUR MARRIAGE

    Bedtime routine is very important, not only for good sleep but also for a good relationship. And no, it is not only about sex. As a matter of fact, how you handle bedtime is symbolic to your relationship. Staying disconnected with your partner at bedtime can be deterimental to your marriage and before you even realize it, you start living separate lives, despite being under the same roof.

    Go to bed together

    When you are managing stresses of your daily life, you often overlook some of the simple yet important rules of life – going to bed at the same time as your partner. In today’s time, a lot of couples hit the bed at different times – one wants to read a book or watch TV and the other is too sleepy to wait. Time your sleep such that you both go to bed together.

    Ditch electronics

    Facebook, Twitter and Instagram seem to be draining out all the excitement from our personal relationships. And if this was not enough, TV eats up into the remaining time. We are so busy consuming electronics data that we slip into bedtime not realizing that we are missing out on an important aspect – the partner effect. Feel
    his/her presence consciously and avoid all the unnecessary noice.

    Pillow talk

    Ability to reveal your private thoughts to your partner is key to a happy marriage, but it is fast becoming a fading practice. Take control of your relationship and tell him how your day went or if you felt vulnerable about something that happened during the day. Not only does it reduce stress but also makes you feel better connected. It also cuts down the adverse effects of psychological conditions.

    Touch in right places

    It is unfortunate how touching becomes one of the activities that disappear from relationships fastest, making it shift from passionate to compassionate bond. Find out creative ways to touch your partner. Psychologists believe that touching plays a pivotal role in adding passion to relationships.

    Kiss goodnight

    How do you call it a night? Is it a moment that just happens without much planning? Well, do not forget to kiss your partner good night. It involves physical as well as emotional intimacy and helps reignite your relationship. Try this and watch your connection improve drastically.

  • Mathura on the edge, SP among 21 killed in clashes

    Mathura on the edge, SP among 21 killed in clashes

    MATHURA (TIP): At least 21 people, including an SP and an SHO, have been killed in the massive clash between police and encroachers that broke out here on Thursday even as Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has ordered an inquiry.

    19 people have been killed apart from SP City Mukul Dwivedi and SHO, Farah, Santosh Yadav, Pradeep Bhatnagar, commissioner, Agra division, said on Friday.

    A magisterial probe has also been ordered, he said.

    The violence had erupted when police were trying to evict illegal occupants, believed to be of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, from Jawahar Bagh on Thursday on the directions of the Allahabad high court.

    In Lucknow, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav ordered a probe by the divisional commissioner of Mathura, an official spokesperson said. The Uttar Pradesh government has reportedly announced an ex-gratia of Rs 20 lakh each for the families of the martyred policemen.

    The situation in Mathura remains tense and DGP Javed Ahmed and principal secretary (home) Debashish Panda have rushed here.

    Rajnath reviews situation The Union home minister said he has reviewed the situation in Mathura.

    “I have spoken to the chief minister of Uttar Pardesh and reviewed the situation in Mathura. I have assured him of all possible help from the Centre.

    “I am anguished over the loss of lives in the incident in Mathura. May God give strength to the bereaved families,” Rajnath Singh said.

    According to reports, the encroachers were from a semi-religious sect, who described themselves as “Satyagrahis”.

    The agitators had occupied the park in the Jawahar Bagh area for over two years. The 260-acre park is valued in crores of rupees.

    The encroachers, who have been on a protest for two years, demand “cancellation of the elections” of the President and Prime Minister of India.

    They also want that diesel be sold at 60 litres a rupee and petrol at 40 litres a rupee. The existing currency, they also say, should be replaced.

    According to police, members of this outfit and another smaller organisation, Swadheen Bharat Subhash Sena, had been staging demonstrations at Jawahar Bagh over the last two-and-a-half years. Among the other demands posted on their Facebook page are: “We demand all records relating to the ‘Ruler of the Nation’, law and order, and also the document of citizenship (which shows how we are citizens of the nation) to be made public.”

  • Ninth Season of the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee Announced

    Ninth Season of the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee Announced

    NEW YORK, NY (TIP): At a glittering event held in New York to mark the 9th anniversary of the South Asian Spelling Bee, Touchdown Media Inc., the leading multicultural advertising firm, announced, May 3, the launch of the ninth season of the MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee. MetLife, a leading global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management, returns as the title sponsor of the contest.

    The event is open to children of South Asian descent up to 14 years of age. It will give South Asian children a chance to test their spelling skills in their core peer group. Interested spellers need their parent or guardian to register them online at www.southasianspellingbee.com.

    Organized by Touchdown Media Inc., the 2016 MetLife South Asian Spelling Bee will be conducted in 12 locations across the United States starting on June 11. Regional level events will be held in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C. Metro, New Jersey, New York and Boston. All events will be free to attend and open to the public. Accra, Ghana was announced as the 13th center from where spellers of South Asian descent will qualify for the finals.

    “For the past eight years, the Bee has consistently provided a firm platform for the community to come together and hone their craft. It’s become a family activity that contributes towards the overall development of the child. We are proud to enter our eighth consecutive year and look forward to engaging some of these wonderful spellers,” said Rahul Walia, founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee and CEO of Touchdown Media Inc.

    Each competition will begin with a written test of 25 words. The participants must spell 15 or more words correctly to advance to the afternoon oral round, which will be conducted by experienced pronouncers and judges. The top three in the oral round will receive prize money.

    The top two spellers of each regional competition will advance to the finals to be held in New Jersey in August. Similar to previous years MetLife has once again funded the$10,000 champion’s grand prize that will be awarded to the winner at the finals.

    For a complete schedule, registration and any other information, please visit: www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com

    Find us on Facebook at South Asian Spelling Bee and you can follow us on our Twitter handle at Spell South Asian.

  • Brazil faces its own ‘Nirbhaya’ crisis: 16-year-old raped by 33 men in Rio

    Brazil faces its own ‘Nirbhaya’ crisis: 16-year-old raped by 33 men in Rio

    SAO PAULO (TIP): With less than two months to go before the world’s top athletes and hundreds of thousands of sport lovers head to Rio de Janeiro for Olympics 2016, the city’s reputation has taken a severe beating with a gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl by more than 30 men in an impoverished favela (slum) of the city. The girl’s ordeal began on May 20 night when she went to stay at her boyfriend’s house on the western fringe of the city. She woke up on May 22 morning and found herself surrounded by 33 men, many of them carrying heavy arms.

    Badly shaken by the assault that went on for more than 36 hours, the victim tried to escape from the hospital several times on Thursday. “I just want to go home,” the teenager has reportedly told pleaded with hospital staff and her family members.

     

    The case, which has sent shock waves across the biggest South American country, came to the light on this Wednesday after more than 800 people contacted a hotline in the state public prosecutor’s office to report about certain tweets in which a couple of men were bragging about assaulting a girl. Filled with obscene description of her body, the tweets had photos and videos of the girl, who is apparently drugged, naked and struggling to regain consciousness.

    What is causing outrage in this country, where women are 52% of the population, is the fact that the tweets, which have now been deleted, had more than 500 likes and many vulgar comments which blamed the girl for her condition.

    As the victim now undergoes treatment and counselling at the hospital, her poor family is completely devastated. “She is crying and still shaken. They messed up my daughter. They almost killed her. I am in pain. She is traumatized,” the 16-year-old’s father told local media, asking them not to reveal his identity. The girl’s grandmother too spoke to a local radio station, saying the girl suffered a blackout during the assault.

    “The video is shocking. I watched it. She’s completely off,” the grandmother told the radio.

    Though sexual crimes are not uncommon in the favelas where armed gangs operate and often target their unsuspecting victims, the brutality of this assault has completely shaken the country. With the #Estupro (rape) trending on the social media, thousands of people have asked for quick action against the men responsible for the crime. The police have so far detained only two persons.

    With a sudden wave of crimes sweeping the city that will be hosting the biggest sporting spectacle between August 5 and 21, Brazil’s cultural capital is on the edge as anger grows against the city and state governments. “It is an act of barbarity and cowardice. The attack on this young woman is also an aggression against all women. We are seeing an increasing dehumanization and disrespect for others. The main victims have been women. Our solidarity with the young victim, her family and all women,” said a statement from the Human Rights Commission of Rio de Janeiro

    Though the crime has revived the memories of the March 2015 case when an American tourist was abducted by three men in a van and raped in front of her French boyfriend, the mainstream Brazilian media has almost blacked out the assault on the 16-year-old girl. This has sparked anger on the social media, with thousands slamming the big media groups ignoring the story. “This crime deserved to be reported for several minutes on national news. They did so when the Swiss tourist was raped in India. Or when the gringa (American) was raped in Copacabana, but not now” Cecilia Olliveira, a Rio resident, wrote on facebook.

    When India was rocked by the Nirbhaya case in December 2012, the Brazilian mainstream media – print and television -had covered the incident in great detail, branding India as a “dangerous place for women”. But as the media here keeps silent on the Rio case and one more gang-rape reported in the state of Piaui last week, it’s coming under severe criticism from all quarters. “People talk of India and every case of rape there is reported. But India is here. In India, the case generated strong reaction, but our reality is similar,” Silvia Chakian, a prosecutor of Sao Paulo told the BBC, adding that crimes against women tend to be more common in countries where gender inequality is more pronounced.

    In Brazil, a woman is raped every 11 minutes, according to data released by the Brazilian Forum on Public Security at the end of last year. In 2015, the country recorded 47,646 cases of rape.

    For Brazil’s interim government, headed by Michel Temer, the crime could not have happened at a worse time. Already facing angry protests every day across the country, the growing anger against the rape in Rio may bring more people on the streets against the government which does not have even a single female minister.

  • IAS officer in MP who praised Nehru in FB post transferred

    IAS officer in MP who praised Nehru in FB post transferred

    BHOPAL (TIP): IAS officer Ajay Singh Gangwar and Barwani district Collector, who praised the country’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in a Facebook post, was transferred by Madhya Pradesh government.

    Gangwar was transferred as Deputy Secretary in the Secretariat in Bhopal. “The state government has transferred Barwani Collector Gangwar as Deputy Secretary in the Mantralaya in Bhopal,” a state Public Relation department official said. In the Facebook post written in Hindi, which has gone viral on other social media platforms, Gangwar has written that “let me know the mistakes that Nehru should not have committed…Is it his mistake that he prevented all of us from becoming Hindu Talibani Rashtra in 1947? Is it his mistake to open IIT, ISRO, BARC, IISB, IIM, BHEL steel plant, dams, thermal power? Is it his mistake that he honoured Sarabhai, Homi Jehangir in place of intellectuals like Asaram and Ramdev?”

  • Injured Roger Federer pulls out of French Open

    Injured Roger Federer pulls out of French Open

    LONDON: Former champion Roger Federer withdrew from the French Open on Thursday, citing fitness issues, as his record run of appearing at 65 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments came to an end.

    The 34-year-old world number three’s appearance at Roland Garros had been in doubt after he missed the Madrid Open with back problems and suffered an early defeat at the Italian Open in the build-up to the claycourt major he won in 2009.

    The last time the 17-times Grand Slam champion was absent from one of the sport’s four majors was at the 1999 U.S. Open.

    “I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year’s French Open,” father of four Federer said in a message posted on Facebook.

    “I am still not 100 percent and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready. This decision was not easy to make, but I took it to ensure I could play the remainder of the season and help to extend the rest of my career.”

    Federer’s withdrawal will have a significant impact on the draw as nine-times champion Rafael Nadal, ranked five in the world, will now move to fourth seed while defending champion Stan Wawrinka is bumped up to three.

    Spaniard Nadal could have faced world number one Novak Djokovic or second seed Andy Murray, as early as the quarter-finals. That scenario has now been avoided.

    Federer, who for much of his career has been injury-free, needed a left knee operation after the Australian Open this year, saying afterwards he had torn his meniscus while running a bath for his twin daughters.

    Federer, who has been troubled by back problems over the past few years, said he was determined to recover full fitness and prepare for Wimbledon.

    “I remain as motivated and excited as ever and my plan is to achieve the highest level of fitness before returning to the ATP World Tour for the upcoming grass court season,” said the Swiss, who owns seven Wimbledon titles.

    “I am sorry for my fans in Paris but I very much look forward to returning to Roland Garros in 2017.”

  • Canada PM to apologise to Sikhs for Komagata Maru episode

    Canada PM to apologise to Sikhs for Komagata Maru episode

    NEW DELHI: Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau notched up another signal honour as a liberal humanist by pledging to make a full apology in the House of Commons for a century-old slight against Indians, mainly Sikhs.

    In 1914, the Canadian government turned away 376 immigrants from Punjab who had sailed from India on board the ship Komagata Maru, after quarantining the vessel off the port of Vancouver. Following a two month long stand-off during which the Canadians refused to allow passengers to disembark, the ship was escorted out by gunships — one of them ironically called HMCS Rainbow — and sent back to Calcutta, where clashes with British soldiers killed 19 and ended in prison sentence to others.

    “The passengers of the Komagata Maru like millions of immigrants to Canada since were seeking refuge and better lives for their families. With so much to contribute to their new home, they chose Canada and we failed them utterly. As a nation, we should never forget the prejudice suffered by the Sikh community at the hands of the Canadian government of the day. We should not and we will not,” Trudeau said at an event to celebrate Baisakhi in Ottawa. “That is why next month, on May 18, I will stand in the House of Commons and offer a full apology for the Komagata Maru incident,” he added.

    The Canadian premier, already a darling of the liberal constituency across the world, has particularly endeared himself to Sikhs in Canada even before he inducted four of them in his cabinet (and jokingly boasted he had more Sikhs in his government than Narendra Modi). The apology pledge on Monday, made at a prayer meeting where he wore a saffron headscarf, was preceded by a widely-distributed video greeting to Sikhs on the occasion of Baisakhi, ending with him greeting them with “Wahe Guruji da Khalsa Wahe Guruji da Fateh”, the traditional Sikh invocation.

    Even before he was elected, the Sikh community was electrified by another video that showed him dancing the bhangra, and his actions since he was elected have enthralled the community so much that some have dubbed him “Justin Singh Trudeau.”

    On Monday, Trudeau stepped it up several notches saying “an apology made in the House of Commons will not erase the pain and suffering of those who lives through that shameful experience, but an apology is not only the appropriate action to take, it’s the right action to take and the House is the appropriate place for it to happen.”

    It was in the House of Commons that the laws that prevented the passengers from disembarking were first passed and so it’s fitting that the government should apologize there on behalf of all Canadians, he added, referring obliquely to an unmet Sikh demand for an apology in the legislature after then Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had expressed regret outside the house in 2008.

    Trudeau reminded the gathering that April is a special month not only for Sikhs but for all Canadians, since it marks the anniversary of the adoption of the charter of rights and freedoms which ensures that no Canadian needs to make the choice between their religion and activities in their day-to-day lives. The charter ensures that the five sacred Ks of the Sikhs are protected, he said, adding that as Canadian Sikhs gather with their loved ones to mark the creation of the Khalsa, it’s a chance to reflect on shared values and celebrate the successes of the past year.

    The immense grace Trudeau has shown since coming to office has won him admirers across the world, including on social media. “I’m honored that 2 million people around the world have now ‘liked’ my Facebook page. Thank you to all 2 million of you!” he posted on Facebook on Monday.

  • 2 held in MP for posting morphed RSS chief’s photos online

    2 held in MP for posting morphed RSS chief’s photos online

    BHOPAL (TIP): Police arrested two people in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district for allegedly posting a morphed image of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on social media to ridicule the Sangh’s recent decision to change its uniform.

    Khargone superintendent of police Amit Kumar Singh said the duo was accused for hurting religious sentiments and posting obscene material electronically.

    In the image the face of the RSS chief was combined with a woman’s body wearing tight fitting brown trousers and a white shirt, added Singh.

    On the complaint of a saffron outfit activist Rajnish Nimbalkar, the duo was booked under Section 67 of the Information and Technology Act and Section 505(2) of IPC.

    The two men identified as an egg seller, 22-year-old Shaqir Yunus Banthia who is a resident of Bhikhangaon area of Khargone, and a 21-year-old college student Wasim Sheikh who is a native of Khargone’s Balakwada area.

    A local Khargone court sent them into two weeks judicial custody. The duo was allegedly mocking the Sangh’s decision to switch from its trademark Khaki shorts to brown trousers, in order to attract young followers and “move with the times”.The complaint was made following protests outside Bhikhangaon police station by saffron outfits on Wednesday. The protestors alleged that the act was done intentionally to ridicule the change of dress code by the RSS. While Shaqir had shared the picture on a WhatsApp group of which he was not a group administrator, Wasim had posted the same picture over the Facebook.

    Congress leader Parasram Dandir and party workers met Khargone additional SP AS Kanesh on Thursday and questioned the arrests.

  • In UK, trolls who impersonate others online to face charges

    In UK, trolls who impersonate others online to face charges

    ENGLAND (TIP): People who use social media accounts under other names to harass and attack others should be charged, according to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service.

    The new rules could allow for the prosecution of people who create a profile “under the name of the victim with fake information uploaded which, if believed, could damage their reputation and humiliate them,” the CPS said.

    Authorities said that the new rules were a response to the changing nature of online crime. “It is vital that prosecutors consider the bigger picture when looking at evidence and examine both the online and offline behaviour pattern of the defendant,” director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders said.

    Social media giants such as Twitter and Facebook have facilities in place to report impersonation accounts. Facebook’s help centre says “impostor accounts” are not allowed.