JACK DORSEY SAYS MODI GOVT ARM-TWISTED TWITTER DURING FARMERS’ PROTEST

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, in sensational allegations, claimed the Indian govt threatened to shut down Twitter unless it complied with orders to restrict accounts during farmers' protests, a charge denied by the govt on Tuesday as an "outright lie".

In an interview, Dorsey, who quit as Twitter CEO in 2021, claimed that the Indian govt "pressured" the company with threats of a shutdown and raids on employees if it did not comply with requests to take down posts and restrict accounts that were critical of the govt over the protest by farmers against new farm laws in 2020 and 2021.

Opposition parties quickly latched on to Dorsey's comments to attack the govt with the Congress saying when farmers were protesting, the govt was trying to suppress this news.  "Be aware, 733 farmers were martyred in this movement and the dictator was engaged in polishing his image on their dead bodies," it tweeted without naming anyone.

Rubbishing the claims, Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar launched a no holds barred attack and said Dorsey's Twitter regime "had a problem accepting the sovereignty of Indian law... It behaved as if the laws of India did not apply to it."

Others in the govt too joined Chandrasekhar in rebutting the claims.

Denying allegations made by Dorsey, senior BJP leader and former IT and communication minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "No threat was issued to Twitter. We did, however, flag anti-India activities being entertained on the micro-blogging site." "We did raise objections to Twitter timelines teeming with footage of the tricolour being pulled down at Red Fort and police personnel being beaten up," said Prasad, in an oblique reference to unsavoury events that took place during the agitation against farm laws. "We pointed out that the act was no less outrageous than the siege of Capitol Hill for which Twitter had shown sensitivity," Prasad, who was IT and communication minister between July 2016 and July 2021, said. "There were also instances of unverified accounts of people not living in the country engaging in anti-India activities. We had requested that they act against such users," he added.

The BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said that under Dorsey the firm had turned "rogue, disregarding laws of the sovereigns they operated in, muzzling freedom of speech (shadow banning ideologically differing voices) and in many cases promoting secessionist voices and those who were working to exacerbate social fault lines, including several Twitter employees (Dorsey himself is guilty of it)…"

37,000 SHIFTED AHEAD OF BIPARJOY, ARMY, NDRF PLAN RELIEF MEASURES

Authorities on Tuesday shifted about 37,000 people from coastal areas to temporary shelters two days before powerful cyclone Biparjoy's expected landfall near Jakhau port in Gujarat's Kutch district.

An official said several NDRF and SDRF teams are on standby. Simultaneously, Army authorities have jointly planned relief operations with civil administration and National Disaster Response Force. The Army has kept flood relief columns ready at strategic locations.

The Western Railway has so far cancelled 69 trains and decided to short-terminate 32 and short-originate 26 trains as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers as well as train operations.

LOOKING FORWARD TO MEET PRESIDENT BIDEN, MODI TELLS NSA SULLIVAN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan that he is looking forward to a productive US visit and an engaging conversation with President Joe Biden on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Sullivan arrived in Delhi on a two-day visit and called on Prime Minister Modi.

Sullivan communicated that the US President looked forward to welcoming PM Modi on the state visit, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“Glad to receive US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Reviewed progress under India-US Initiative on Critical & Emerging Technologies (iCET) and other issues of bilateral cooperation. Look forward to meeting President Joe Biden during my upcoming State Visit to the US,” Modi tweeted later.

DYNASTIC PARTIES PROMOTED RATE CARD FOR JOBS, BJP SAFEGUARDING YOUTH FUTURE: PM

In a sharp political attack on several Opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of “the ills of dynasty politics and nepotism in the recruitment process” while addressing the National Rozgar Mela on Tuesday.

“These dynastic parties encouraged nepotism and corruption when it came to govt jobs; they have cheated the youth of this country,” he said.

Without naming anyone, he highlighted the “cash for jobs scam” (recently flagged in West Bengal’s municipalities and municipal corporations), and warned the youth against such a system. The Prime Minister also mentioned the “land for jobs scam” where the then railway minister of the country (referring to Lalu Prasad) had acquired the land in exchange for a job and remarked that the case is being investigated by the CBI and pending in courts.

“On one hand we have parties that present a rate card for jobs, and on the other it is the present govt that is safeguarding the future of the youth.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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CHINA COULD MATCH NUKE PROWESS OF RUSSIA, US IN DECADE: SIPRI

While India and Pakistan have all added to their nuclear arsenal in the past one year, China, over the next decade, is set for “significant modernisation” and expansion of its weaponry to match that of Russia and the US.

Projections suggest China will deploy as many intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) as either Russia or the USA in a decade, said Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security.

The report said as of January, China maintained an estimated total stockpile of about 410 nuclear warheads — around 60 more than estimated for the previous year. The US has 5,244 warheads and Russia 5,889. “The number of Chinese intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) is likely to reach or even exceed the numbers held by Russia or the United States,” the report said.

“Chinese posture is changing significantly, with hundreds of missile silos being built, additional submarines under construction and new nuclear bombers being added to the force,” SIPRI said. This includes an ‘early warning counterstrike’ strategy, akin to a ‘launch-on-warning’ posture, using ground and space-based sensors to enable rapid launch of missiles. China had deployed at least three early warning satellites to facilitate this posture.

DONALD TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN FEDERAL DOCUMENTS CASE

Former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to federal criminal charges that he unlawfully kept national-security documents when he left office and lied to officials who sought to recover them.

Trump’s plea, entered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman in a federal court in Miami, sets up a legal battle likely to play out over coming months as he campaigns to win back the presidency in a November 2024 election. Experts say it could be a year or more before a trial takes place.

It was the second courtroom visit for Trump in recent months. In April, he pleaded not guilty to state charges in New York stemming from a hush-money payment to a porn star.

Supporters wearing Make America Great Again hats and carrying American flags chanted “Miami for Trump” and “Latinos for Trump” as the motorcade paused outside the courthouse.

Authorities had prepared for possible violence, recalling the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters that there had not been any security problems.

Trump has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and accuses Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration of targeting him. He called Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution, a “Trump hater” on social media on Tuesday.

MAHMOUD ABBAS IN CHINA AS XI JINPING SET TO BROKER ISRAEL-PALESTINE TALKS

After effecting a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, China will attempt a far tougher mediation effort to resolve the Palestine-Israel conflict with the arrival of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing on Tuesday.

Abbas will stay until Friday on his fifth official visit to China. Beijing has been meticulously setting the stage for talks. Xi had co-chaired the first Arab-China summit in December last year in Saudi capital Riyadh where the Palestinian President was also invited.

THE REST

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5.4-MAGNITUDE QUAKE HITS J-K'S DODA; TREMORS FELT IN PARTS OF NORTH INDIA

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit Doda in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday afternoon, forcing people in parts of the union territory to rush out of their homes in panic and causing damage to some buildings, officials said. The tremors were felt across Delhi and other parts of north India, and in neighbouring Pakistan.

The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said the 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck the region at 1:33 pm. Its epicentre was in Doda. In Doda's Bhaderwah town, a few buildings developed cracks due to the tremors.

BENGAL PANCHAYAT POLLS: CITING PRESENT AND PAST VIOLENCE, HC ORDERS DEPLOYMENT OF CENTRAL FORCES

Taking note of media reports on violence during the ongoing nomination process for the July 8 dpanchayat elections in West Bengal and reminding the State Election Commission (SEC) of violence-marred 2018 elections, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered the deployment of central paramilitary forces in the state.

“Considering the fact that the total number of seats for which the election has to be conducted is more than 75,000; and going by the past incidents wherein on more than 12 occasions, the court had to intervene for directing the deployment of central forces or transferring the cases to the National Investigating Agency, we are of the view that the State Election Commission should and shall requisition the deployment of central forces to work in tandem with the police force of the State of West Bengal to ensure free and fair elections,” the High Court said.

A MYSTERY SURVEY HAS MAHARASHTRA RULING ALLIANCE IN A TIZZY

At a time when the two wary ruling allies in Maharashtra are gearing up for seat-sharing talks, full-page advertisements appeared across all newspapers in the state Tuesday, citing a survey that puts Shinde Sena leader Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ahead of BJP Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in popularity.

The advertisement with the slogan “Modi For India, Shinde For Maharashtra. The dream team is loved by all” quoted a survey stating that Eknath Shinde is the most preferred CM, with 26% of people backing him, followed by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who was supported by 23.2%.

With seat-sharing tensions rife within the alliance, and the Opposition making hay over the advertisement, Fadnavis cancelled a visit to Kolhapur for an event he was to attend with Shinde on Tuesday evening.

By evening, the Shinde Sena had distanced itself from the advertisement.

Shinde though didn’t really disown the advertisement completely. Speaking at the Kolhapur event, he said: “Since the people of the state can witness the development (under our govt), they have shown preference for Fadnavis and me.”

CANADA GOVT GIVES STUDENTS CHANCE TO PROVE VISA FRAUD

The Canadian govt is developing a process to ensure that most of the Indian students facing deportation on charges of obtaining visas using fake admission letters will get an opportunity to prove that they had been duped, said Immigration Minister Sean Fraser while responding to a question in Parliament on Monday.

Most of the students are from Punjab and entered Canada between 2017 and 2019. The authorities said their admission offer letters to educational institutions were fake when these students applied in March for permanent residency in Canada.

Fraser said the “innocent students, who are the victims of fraud”, would be allowed to “prove that they were taken advantage of” and the govt would provide an “appropriate remedy” to them. Many students, he acknowledged, were “dealing with serious mental health concerns, with the uncertainty they are struggling with”.

“We’ll put in place a process to allow them to prove that they were taken for a ride and provide them with an appropriate remedy,” Fraser said in reply to a question by Jenny Kwan, a member of the opposition outfit New Democratic Party.

LAW DOESN'T RECOGNISE LIVE-IN RELATIONSHIPS AS MARRIAGE: KERALA COURT

The Kerala High Court has held that the law does not recognise live-in relationships as marriage; it considers as a legal union only weddings solemnised according to personal or secular laws.

Therefore, a couple that lives together by virtue of an agreement cannot claim it to be a marriage nor seek a divorce based on that, the high court said. The ruling by a bench of Justices A Muhamed Mustaque and Sophy Thomas came on an interfaith couple's appeal against a family court order dismissing their plea for divorce on the ground that their marriage was not solemnised under the Special Marriage Act.

The couple, one a Hindu and the other Christian, had been living together since 2006 under a registered agreement and have a 16-year-old child. As they no longer wanted to continue their relationship, they had moved the family court for divorce.

Disposing of their appeal, the high court said, "The law is yet to recognise the live-in relationship as marriage. The law accords recognition only if the marriage is solemnised in accordance with personal law or in accordance with secular law like the Special Marriage Act." The high court said that while there may be a situation where such a relationship qualifies for creation of reciprocal obligation or duties elsewhere, that does not mean it can be recognised for the purpose of divorce.

COWIN PORTAL DATA LEAK FEEDS RISK OF SCAMS AND EXTORTION CALLS: EXPERTS

The alleged leak of private data of Indian Covid-19 vaccine takers from different age groups and demographics registered on the CoWin portal may create a perfect recipe for cybercrime such as identity thefts, phishing attacks, scams and extortion calls, experts warn.

Though the govt has denied any breach at its end, accurate information about vaccine takers’ govt ID cards, mobile numbers, addresses, and dates of birth was found to be leaked on a Telegram channel. According to cyber security professionals, the nature of datasets stored with the CoWin platform provides almost everything needed for sophisticated social engineering tactics.

“Both CoWIN and Aadhaar data of India is extremely sensitive and at a massive risk of cyberattacks, which can wreak havoc when in the hand of nation-state adversaries among the scammers. Furthermore, people commonly use the type of information exposed here as their passwords and security questions to access digital services,” said Himanshu Pathak, the managing director at CyberX9.

According to Kumar Ritesh, founder, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of external threat management company CYFIRMA, adversaries can continuously use such information in their favour and in different scenarios. “The leaked data gives enough information for perpetrators to breach into banking systems and other platforms used in day-to-day business. With the use of leaked elements, cyber threat actors may also attempt more ‘brute force’ attacks by using combinations of first name, date of birth, etc. We have seen historically in many cases, such information has been capitalised on to do that,” Ritesh said.

WFI ELECTIONS TO BE HELD ON JULY 6, RESULT ON SAME DAY, SAYS OFFICIAL

The Wrestling Federation of India's much awaited elections will take place on July 6, the returning officer announced in a notification issued on Tuesday.

The announcement comes a day after the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) appointed retired high court judge Mahesh Mittal Kumar as the returning officer to set the poll process in motion.

It was also notified that the results of the elections will also be announced on same day.

INDONESIA OPEN: SINDHU PASSES TOUGH TEST; PRANNOY, SATWIK-CHIRAG ADVANCE

PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy started their Indonesia Open Super 1000 campaign with straight-game wins on Tuesday while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced after a mid-match walkover and Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand as well as MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila exited in the first round once again.

The Indonesia Open, the third Super 1000 tournament this year, is the penultimate -- and biggest -- in the five straight weeks of top-flight BWF World Tour action in Asia since the start of Olympic qualification cycle in May.

It was an important win for Sindhu, beating Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 21-19, 21-15 in 38 minutes. Unseeded after her erratic performances since her comeback from a five-month injury layoff, Sindhu had lost to the Indonesian she previously dominated in their two meetings this year and had exited in the first round in the last two weeks.

HS Prannoy, who won the Malaysia Masters before a first-round exit at the Singapore Open, reached the second round with a 21-16, 21-14 win over Kenta Nishimoto.

Prannoy is now ranked high enough for a seeding and justified that with a straight game win in 51 minutes in what could have been a longer battle. He next faces Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong, who he has a 5-5 record against.

In men's doubles, Satwik and Chirag - who had a stroke of luck when their first-rounded opponents and regular nemeses 'Minions' withdrew - advanced with a walkover. Playing reserves Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov, they led comfortably at 21-12, 11-7 before Christo Popov pulled out due to the injury he had sustained during his singles match earlier.

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Bitcoin - USD 25,984, Dollar Index 102.87, Brent Crude 73.98, BDI 1,056.00

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,944 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 6,045 / 5,540, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 79,200

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A failure is not always a mistake. It may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying. - B.F. Skinner

OFF TRACK

I hope I don't sound like an old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud, but when I hear about people making vast fortunes without doing any productive work or contributing anything to society, my reaction is: 'How can I get in on that?'