IT MINISTER FLAGS SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE ON ‘DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES’

Flagging concerns regarding the “influence” that social media platforms can have on democratic processes, Union Minister of Communications, IT and Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that while India currently has a regulatory framework that can deal with the issue to an extent, a “much more comprehensive legal structure” was needed.

Vaishnaw also emphasised that the context in which legal immunity from third party content — or “safe harbour” protection — was offered to social media platforms has “changed”, and there is a need for these platforms to be subjected to increased accountability.

“All over the world, democracies are worried about the influence of social media on democratic processes. Especially after the developments around Artificial Intelligence (AI), people are really concerned about their impact on democracies,” Vaishnaw said.

“The promise of social media was that everybody gets a voice, a platform on which opinions can be expressed and it was not like traditional media where editorial control can keep some opinions out. That promise had an inherent understanding that whoever is publishing views on social media would also be accountable for it, be cognisant of the legal structure, social realities and ensure that nobody else is hurt. Unfortunately, that part has deteriorated over a period of time, and today’s social media has become a free-for-all where anyone can write anything derogatory about anybody else,” he said.

Vaishnaw said a number of countries have had to take steps to contain the problem, and India faces a similar challenge.

Highlighting that social media platforms today follow their own content moderation policies and also deploy algorithms that dictate the prominence content pieces get, Vaishnaw questioned whether “safe harbour” should continue to exist in the way it was originally envisaged.

PM HOLDS ROADSHOW WITH UAE PREZ AHEAD OF ‘VIBRANT GUJARAT’ SUMMIT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed held a 3-km-long roadshow in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The UAE President reached India a day ahead of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar

Much like his earlier roadshows in the city with foreign dignitaries such as late Shinzo Abe in 2017, the two leaders travelled together as people lined a part of the route where cultural performances were also held on specially erected stages. The UAE has deep-pocketed government-controlled funds that are increasingly investing in India.

PM Modi was present at the airport to welcome Sheikh Mohamed after which the two leaders began their roadshow.

Modi also attended a meeting with four CEOs of top global corporations who have especially arrived to attend the Vibrant Gujarat summit. Of them, three—Suzuki Motor’s Toshihiro Suzuki, DP World’s Ahmed bin Sulayem and Micron Technology’s Sanjay Mehrotra—have announced investment plans in Gujarat. The other, AP Moeller-Maersk too has major operations in the state. The PM discussed green hydrogen and the development of logistics infrastructure with them, said an official release.

MUIZZU TURNS TO CHINA FOR TOURISTS, FACES IRE AT HOME

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu yesterday sought more tourists from China and described it as one of country’s closest allies.

But domestic after-effects continued in Maldives from the derogatory remarks about PM Modi posted by the now-suspended three junior Maldivian Ministers. The opposition was pressing for a no-confidence vote against Muizzu while many Maldivian figures pointed out how India had always stood by the Maldives. “India has been our 911 call, whenever we need it, we give a call and you all come to our rescue. When you see such disparaging remarks about friends like this, it is sad for everyone concerned,” said former Maldives Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi.

Alarmed over the possibility of losing some of the two lakh Indians visiting the Maldives every year after the spat prompted several Indian celebrities to begin promoting Indian leisure destinations, all the country’s tourism associations condemned the comments against PM Modi.

Muizzu arrived in China on Monday for a five-day state visit that would include meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing.

SEAT SHARING "SETTLED" IN MAHARASHTRA, ON TRACK IN UP: CONGRESS

Maharashtra's Maha Vikas Aghadi -- an alliance of Shiv Sena UBT, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress -- have come to an understanding on the division of the state's 48 seats. After a meeting this evening, Sena's Sanjay Raut said that he was smiling was "an indicator" of how the meeting went.

"We will be the first state to announce seats... The Shiv Sena May have spilt, but the people are with the Uddhav faction and the same with the NCP... We will be together for the elections," senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, the Congress's state in-charge, said.

Congress's Salman Khurshid, who attended the meeting for Uttar Pradesh, said things were going in the "right direction". "We are on the same page, I feel we could communicate very well," he added, calling it an "excellent meeting". Asked if there was a possibility of chemistry developing between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, he said it was "beyond" his imagination.  "We just need to be firm and take it forward," he added.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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BLINKEN CALLS ON ISRAEL TO BUILD ITS TIES WITH ARAB COUNTRIES

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said Tuesday that Israel had “real opportunities” to strengthen ties with Arab nations, as he sought to calm regional violence arising from the Israel-Hamas war and encourage Israel to alleviate Palestinian suffering in order to improve relations with its West Asian neighbours.

Blinken’s comments, in meetings with Israeli officials on Tuesday in Tel Aviv, were a reference to his earlier assertion that Saudi Arabia and other countries remained interested in eventually building normal diplomatic relations with Israel despite the destruction in Gaza and fears of a wider regional conflict. But Arab leaders insist Israel must end the Gaza war and work toward a Palestinian state, Blinken has said.

“I look forward to sharing with you some of what I’ve heard from countries around the region,” Blinken said in public remarks to Israel Katz, the foreign minister, before the start of their meeting on Tuesday morning. “I know your own efforts, over many years, to build much better connectivity and integration in the Middle East, and I think there actually are real opportunities there.”

Blinken later met with PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet.

Before flying to Israel on Monday night, Blinken told reporters in the desert oasis town of Al Ula in Saudi Arabia that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had said to him in a meeting there that the Saudis still had “a clear interest” in trying to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel. But there were at least two conditions for that, Blinken said: an end to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza; and Israel agreeing to take practical steps toward establishing a Palestinian state. Blinken has visited Turkiye, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia since Friday.

‘2023 AMONG WARMEST IN AT LEAST 100K YEARS’

Scientists can now confirm what month after month of extraordinary heat worldwide began signalling long ago. Last year was Earth’s warmest by far in a century and a half. Global temperatures started blowing past records midyear and didn’t stop. First, June was the planet’s warmest June on record. Then, July was the warmest July. And so on, all the way through December.

Averaged across last year, temperatures worldwide were 1.48°C, higher than they were in the second half of the 19th century, the European Union climate monitor announced Tuesday. That is warmer by a sizable margin than 2016, the previous hottest year.

To climate scientists, it comes as no surprise that unabated emissions of greenhouse gases caused global warming to reach new highs.

When scientists combine their satellite readings with geological evidence on the climate’s more distant past, 2023 also appears to be among the warmest years in at least 100,000, said Carlo Buontempo, director of the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, at a news briefing.

THE REST

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AMID ST ROW, MANIPUR CM SUGGESTS COULD SET UP PANEL TO CONSIDER KUKI STATUS

Manipur CM N Biren Singh has said that the state government may consider setting up a committee to discuss the Scheduled Tribe status of Kukis in the state.

Asked about the stand of the state government on whether “all Kuki tribes would be listed as ST”, Singh said Tuesday: “They were included in the list, but how it was included has to be reexamined. So before giving any comment, we have to form a committee consisting of all tribes, then only will we be able to send a complete proposal for deletion or inclusion… Anything might be… but after the committee is formed.”

Singh’s statement might trigger fresh tension as the original trigger for the continuing Manipur unrest was the question over who was entitled to ST status in the state.

MINISTER SAYS ED ATTACK WILL BE FOLLOWED BY PUBLIC EXPLOSION; BJP HITS BACK

West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Tuesday said that an attack on Enforcemet Directorate officials during a raid on the premises of a Trinamool Congress strongman will be followed by “a public explosion” in the state.

Various TMC wings will respond to the raids being conducted by central agencies on party leaders in the state, said Chattopadhyay whose comments triggered a controversy, with the Opposition BJP questioning if the state’s ruling party had become a “bunch of terrorists”. The TMC government had lost the moral ground to stay in power even for a day, it added.

Chattopadhyay said, “If they have ED, we have Trinamool Chhatra Parishad. If they have CBI, have Trinamool Youth Congress. If they have income tax department, we have Trinamool trade unions. They don’t have a mass organisation. They only have organisations to kill democracy. We will deal with this organisation in the coming days.”

UBT SENA TO SC IN AFFIDAVIT: ‘QUESTIONS ON IMPARTIALITY’

The Shiv Sena (UBT) has approached the Supreme Court objecting to a meeting between Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde just days before the court’s deadline to Narwekar to decide on disqualification pleas against rebel MLAs led by Shinde was set to expire.

Under the deadline set by the SC, Narwekar has until 4 pm on January 10 to decide on the fate of Shinde and his MLAs, whose rebellion split the Sena and led to the fall of Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in June 2022.

The application, filed by Sena UBT leader Sunil Prabhu on Monday, informed the court of “alarming news” that Narwekar met with Shinde at the CM’s residence “on January 7”, three days prior to the deadline. Calling it “improper”, the application said the meeting was “in violation of the legal maxim that justice should not only be done but should also be seen to be done”.

RAM TEMPLE EVENT A ‘RASHTRA UTSAV’, SAYS YOGI, ORDERS HOLIDAY FOR SCHOOLS

Referring to the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, slated for January 22, as a “rashtra utsav” (national festival), Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday directed all educational institutes across the state to observe a holiday on January 22. He also said that sale of liquor would not be allowed across the state on the day.

Adityanath was in Ayodhya on Tuesday to review the preparations for the consecration ceremony.

Officials said that the Chief Minister also directed officials to ensure “enhanced hospitality” is extended to the dignitaries attending the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya and asked officials to identify the places of accommodation for the dignitaries in advance.

HISTORIC FIRST: NON-MUSLIM INDIAN TEAM VISITS MEDINA

In a landmark development, Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs Smriti Irani accompanied by MoS for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V. Muraleedharan on Monday made a historic visit to the holy city of Medina, home to the Prophet’s Mosque, in Saudi Arabia.

This was the first time a non-Muslim delegation was welcomed to Medina, underscoring the growing and exceptional nature of India-Saudi Arabia bilateral relations. The delegation that visited Medina also comprised CPS Bakshi, Joint Secretary, Haj, and IRS officer from Punjab, and IRS officer Nirupama Kotru from Kashmir. Two non-Muslim Indian women without a headscarf (Irani and Kotru) in Medina made a truly historic sight.

DECISION INCONSEQUENTIAL TO GOVT CHANGE… AMU HAS TO BE NON-MINORITY: CENTRE TO SC

As a seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday began hearing petitions on the question of the minority status of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), the BJP-led government at the Centre told the apex court that its decision to withdraw the challenge to the judgment of the Allahabad High Court in 2016 was “based upon Constitutional considerations alone” and the change of governments was “inconsequential”.

In January 2006, the Allahabad High Court had struck down amendments made to the AMU Act by which the university was accorded the minority status. The Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, as well as the AMU, moved an appeal in the top court against the Allahabad High Court order. After the BJP came to power in the Centre, the government told the Supreme Court in 2016 that it was withdrawing the appeal filed by the previous government.

NO INFORMATION YET ON SURRENDER OF BILKIS CASE CONVICTS: POLICE

No information has been received yet about the surrender of 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case after the Supreme Court quashed the Gujarat Government’s decision to grant them remission, but a police force remains deployed in the area where they live to maintain peace, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has appealed to the Maharashtra Government to take seriously the case of Bilkis Bano, who was gangraped and her seven family members murdered in 2002, and keep in mind what the SC said about the "heinous crime"

The 11 convicts in the case can approach the Maharashtra Government with request for remission of sentences

Such crimes are not accepted in the society, he said.

The Supreme Court on Monday  ordered all the convicts, who were released prematurely on Independence Day in 2022, be sent back to jail within two weeks.

A BENGALURU CEO WHO ALLEGEDLY KILLED HER SON, 4, IN GOA

Suchana Seth, 39, CEO of a Bengaluru-based AI startup, was arrested for allegedly murdering her four-year-old son at a Goa service apartment. She was caught trying to flee in a cab with the child's body stuffed in a bag, citing an “estranged relationship” with her husband as a possible motive, as per the police.

Ms Seth had checked into a luxury apartment in North Goa's Candolim on Saturday and checked out on Monday morning.

She smothered her son to death and then tried to commit suicide by cutting her left wrist with a sharp object, said the police.

Suchana Seth is the founder of The Mindful AI Lab. She has been leading the organisation for over four years, which focuses on advancements in artificial intelligence.

Ms Seth holds a Master's degree in Physics specialising in Plasma Physics with Astrophysics from the University of Calcutta, where she achieved First Class honours in 2008. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Sanskrit with the First Rank from the Ramakrishna Mission Institute Of Culture, and a Bachelor's degree in Physics (Honours) with First Class honours from Bhawanipur Education Society College, Kolkata.

DELHI COURT ALLOWS NEWSCLICK HR HEAD TO TURN APPROVER IN UAPA CASE

A Delhi court Tuesday allowed NewsClick human resource head Amit Chakraborty to turn approver in the case pertaining to alleged money received for pushing pro-China propaganda through the news portal.

The judge also pardoned Chakraborty after he moved the request to turn approver in the case against his former boss and NewsClick founder-editor Prabir Purkayastha.

An approver is a person who is directly or indirectly involved or is privy to an offence. It can also be an accused who can later turn approver by siding with the prosecution, on conditions of providing information. This is done in return for a lesser sentence, or pardon.

Both Chakraborty and Purkayastha are in judicial custody.

ICC RATES CAPE TOWN PITCH AS UNSATISFACTORY

After a 1.5-day end finish to the second Test between India and South Africa, a lot has been said and written about the pitch that was used in the match. Team India emerged triumphant in the contest but not before 23 wickets fell on the opening day. India captain Rohit Sharma also publicly criticised the indifferent verdicts from match referees when it comes to early conclusion of contests in India and overseas. Now, ICC match referee Chris Broad has announced his rating for the Newlands pitch.

The match referee has given an 'unsatisfactory' rating to the pitch used in the second Test between India and South Africa, also handing a demerit point.

"The pitch in Newlands was very difficult to bat on. The ball bounced quickly and sometimes alarmingly throughout the match, making it difficult to play shots. Several batters were hit on the gloves and many wickets also fell due to the awkward bounce," Broad said.

The demerit point doesn't hold a direct repercussion but if a venue accumulates six demerit points, it triggers a year-long prohibition from hosting international matches.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done. - Henry W. Longfellow

OFF TRACK

Relationship are easy when spouses know each other. There are two examples:

1) A husband comes home after attending a club meeting. He tells his wife, “Dear there was a drinking competition after the meeting today.” His wife spontaneously asks, “Who came second?”

2) A wife tells her husband, “Dear there was a letter for you. It’s written on the envelope, ‘Private and confidential.’”

The husband casually asks, “What was written inside?"