The US is “deeply concerned” over the Chinese army’s joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan. US Department of State official spokesperson Matthew Miller urged China to act with restraint.
US State Department’s statement comes after China launched two-day-long military drills on Thursday and Friday (May 23-24) involving land, sea, air, and rocket forces, Taiwan News reported. China launched the exercise days after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan’s President on May 20.
In a statement, Matthew Miller stated, “The United States is deeply concerned over the People’s Liberation Army joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan. We are monitoring PRC activities closely and coordinating with allies and partners regarding our shared concerns.”
Miller noted that use of normal, routine and democratic transition as an excuse for military provocations risks escalations and erodes longstanding norms that for years have maintained peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
US Department of State spokesperson stated, “The United States is deeply concerned over the People’s Liberation Army joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan. We are monitoring PRC activities closely and coordinating with allies and partners regarding our shared concerns.”
“We strongly urge Beijing to act with restraint. Using a normal, routine, and democratic transition as an excuse for military provocations risks escalation and erodes longstanding norms that for decades have maintained peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which is critical for regional and global security and prosperity and a matter of international concern,” he added.
Matthew Miller stated that US remains committed to its longstanding one China policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.
The drills, spanning the Taiwan Strait and areas adjacent to Taiwan-controlled islands near China’s coast, commenced just days after Lai’s assumed office.
Days after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan’s President, China launched two-day-long military drills on Thursday, surrounding the nation in what it called “punishment” for so-called “separatist acts,” CMNN report.
According to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, as part of the drills, dozens of Chinese fighter jets carrying live ammunition carried out mock strikes against “high-value military targets” of the “enemy” alongside destroyers, frigates and missile speedboats.
Despite never having controlled Taiwan, China’s ruling Communist Party claims it as part of its territory and has vowed to take the island by force if necessary. China said it began joint military drills involving the army, navy, air force, and rocket force in areas around Taiwan at 7.45 am (local time) on Thursday.
The drills are taking place in the Taiwan Strait, a narrow body of water that separates the island from mainland China, as well as north, south, and east of Taiwan, reported CNN. They are also taking place near Taiwan’s outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu, and Dongyin, which are just off China’s southeastern coast, according to a statement from the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command.
PLA Naval Colonel Li Xi, the command’s spokesperson, described the exercises as “a strong punishment for the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces and a serious warning against interference and provocation by external forces, as per CNN.
Taiwan, in retaliation, has also deployed its own warships to monitor the situation. This comes as Beijing regards Taiwan’s Lai as a “dangerous separatist” as he backs island’s sovereignty and distinct identity, reported CNN. He succeeded two-term President Tsai Ing-wen, marking the Democratic Progressive Party’s unprecedented third consecutive term in power.
Beijing criticised Lai’s inauguration speech, in which he urged China to end its intimidation of Taiwan. In his inaugural speech after being sworn in as Taiwan’s President, Lai Ching-te, called on Beijing to stop intimidating the island nation, over which China continues to make its claim.
In his inauguration address, Lai called on Beijing “to cease their political and military intimidation against Taiwan, share with Taiwan the global responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as well as the greater region, and ensure the world is free from the fear of war.”
Lai, a former doctor and vice president, was inaugurated alongside newly appointed Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, who most recently held the position of Taiwan’s principal ambassador to the United States.
Beijing publicly slammed both the leaders and their party for defending Taiwan’s sovereignty. Despite never having ruled the island, China’s ruling Communist Party claims it is part of its territory and has threatened to annex the island, using force if necessary. (ANI)
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel along with Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi inspected the Rajkot TRP gaming zone on Sunday where a massive fire claimed the lives of 27 people, including children.
Visuals from the spot showed the Chief Minister and the Home Minister taking stock of the area along with their team.
Security personnel have also been deployed at the Civil Hospital in Rajkot where those who were injured in yesterday’s fire incident have been admitted.
Chief Minister Patel and Home Minister Sanghavi also met the injured at Rajkot’s Giriraj Hospital.
Earlier, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi took stock of the area where the massive fire broke out inside a gaming zone and said that one person is still missing after the tragic incident.
“Our first priority is that…as per the information we have, one person is still missing and it is our responsibility to look for the person. We are deploying maximum teams for that…,” Sanghvi told reporters.
Sanghvi also informed that all officials have been instructed to be present at the Collector’s office by 3 am and he will also be sitting in the Collector’s office.
“A very sad incident took place at Rajkot, many family members lost their loved ones and many children have also died in the incident…SIT has been instructed to start the investigation by 3 am… all officials of those depts under which the responsibility of game zone construction lies, have been instructed to be present at the Collector’s office by 3 am today. All types of investigations will begin today itself and soon action will be taken to serve justice. After doing the inspection here I will be sitting in Collector’s office,” Harsh Sanghvi had said.
Meanwhile, two people, including the owner and manager of the TRP game zone in Rajkot, have been taken to a police station for interrogation. (ANI)
As many as six newborns have lost their lives after a massive fire broke out at a New Born Baby Care Hospital in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar in the late hours of Saturday.
According to the Delhi Fire Department, a total of 12 children were rescued, out of which six have died, one is on the ventilator and five are admitted to the hospital.
The rescued newborns have been shifted to East Delhi Advance NICU hospital.
On information, police officials and firefighters reached the spot and doused the fire.
Fire Officer Rajesh, said, “At 11:32 pm, Fire Service Control Room received information that fire broke out at a hospital…total 16 fire tenders reached the spot and fire has been extinguished completely. 2 buildings were affected by the fire, one is the hospital building and 2 floors of a residential building on the right side also caught fire…11-12 people were rescued and they were taken to hospital. Further details will be shared later”.
The incident comes on a day when 27 persons were killed in Gujarat’s Rajkot city when a massive fire swept through a game zone. (ANI)
Amid an election that seemed highly dull, unprecedently non-polarised and sundry, the interiors of central Uttar Pradesh had reached the boiling point after two phases of polling. It was not an easy task to assess this heat from outside. The drama that unfolded in front of this reporter in the Jajpur village of district Sitapur is representative of the shifting political paradigm in the land that has been the fortress of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2014.
Making of an Argument
We entered the village from the southern entry point which usually inhabits lower castes in the rural geography of UP. Here it was the Pasi community. It is considered as the core voter of the BJP. Strolling in the narrow bylanes destroyed by the yet-to-start Jal Jeevan mission pipeline project, we were accompanied by a group of women and children. We reached an open space near a handpump and sat there for a chat. There were a couple of youths and some elderly people from the same community. They joined in. Within a few minutes, a bike appeared from nowhere and stopped abruptly. Seeing him, women flung to one corner of the street and the elders too became uneasy. Someone whispered. “Aa gaye pandit mahaul kharab karne” (Here comes the Brahmin to spoil the atmosphere)!
The bare-bodied man riding the bike was a Brahmin in his fifties. He enquired about us. After we briefly introduced ourselves, he started talking about himself very loudly that he had come to the village for his daughter who was going to sit for the NEET exams. He boasted of living in Delhi for many years. He had built a house in Lucknow and came to the village only when it was urgent. He advised us not to talk to ‘these’ people as they speak ill about the government despite enjoying free ration and amenities. After a long silence from the Pasi side, suddenly a dissenting voice came from a youth.
He commented, “True, last time he came to distribute Ram Mandir invitations. Now he is here for his daughter’s exam. Let the paper get leaked, then he would know for once and always why we speak ill of the government”. Within seconds of this reaction, the Brahmin started abusing them and people rose against him. The conversation had got ugly and now we realised that this man on the bike was drunk. We remained mute spectators until he fled with speaking of the ‘consequences’.
It was the most unexpected real-life dramatics, but the argument put forward by the youth had caught our ears. He said to the Brahmin, “Tum log abhi mansik gulami kar rahe ho. Jis din samvidhan padh loge gulami ko tod doge. Tumhari galti nahin hai” (You are mental slaves. Once you read the Constitution, you will break away. It is not your fault). Later he told us that he has been a victim of the paper leak twice and works at a computer shop in the nearby market.
A couple of days later NEET paper got leaked out. We were still in UP. Nothing could be said about the Brahmin of Jajpur or that youth but the narrative evolved around paper leaks in UP’s villages is a readymade takeaway for anyone interested in decoding the reasons behind the uproar over “Save the Constitution” in these elections.
Quoting the words of that Jajpur youth, “This government wants us to keep begging for five-kilogram ration. That is why it deliberately leaks exam papers. So that no one gets the job and the government gets bailed out of the obligation of giving reservations. The paper leak is directly linked with the BJP’s intent of ending the reservation guaranteed by the Constitution”.
Constitution as an Electoral Issue
Those who have not been to the field will never know that this General Election was being fought on the issue of saving the Constitution from the very first day and even much before that. It seems strikingly vague and has never been a part of our collective experience that elections are fought over the issue of a Constitution in any democratic Republic. In fact, the Constitution was not an explicit issue even in the LOk Sabha elections held just after the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi. It was the authoritarian character of the leader and state repression in question.
How and when did the Constitution become an electoral issue? Is it just due to statements from a few BJP leaders about changing the Constitution and ending reservations, as D. Raja claims in his article published after two phases of polls? Karnataka’s Anant Hegde was the very first leader who spoke of ending the Constitution in the run-up to elections. He was mysteriously denied a ticket and the party distanced itself from his statement. But after him, there have appeared around half a dozen similar statements, from BJP’s Meerut candidate Arun Govil to Ayodhya candidate Lallu Singh, Diya Kumari, Jyoti Mirdha and the newest turncoat Pramod Krishnam.
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Was the BJP aware of ground swell on the Constitution? In all these cases, it seems as if the BJP never tried to reign in its leaders. And actions attract consequences, especially when it is election time. Lallu Singh was seen pleading to the voters that the video of his viral statement was fabricated and fake. Anant Hegde had to retract.
Talking to hundreds of people in more than a dozen Lok Sabha Constituencies of UP across various caste compositions reveals that the reservation guaranteed by the Constitution is just one strand of the larger fear. Also, people did not mention any specific leader while expressing their fear. They have their reasons to save the Constitution. Some arguments are beyond our comprehension.
To cite a few, one upper-caste lady was fearful of BJP again coming to power because she would lose her right to report FIR after being beaten by her inebriated husband; a young OBC girl said she would lose her right to walk and work freely; a daily wager in his forties was of the apprehension that ending the Constitution would mean an end to the rural employment guarantee act MNREGA.
Mahesh Yadav, a core voter of the Samajwadi Party from Lucknow says, “This time BJP will end elections if it returns. This is the last opportunity for us to save everything”. This fear was echoed in the Loksabha constituencies from Fatehpur Sikri to Lakhimpur Kheri i.e. the complete stretch comprising Bundelkhand and Central UP districts where BJP had secured 26 out of 28 seats in GE 2019.
The Barometer
When does an issue become an electoral issue? When it overarches other issues and breaks traditional loyalties towards political parties. If things have allegedly boiled down to the Constitution, the obvious barometer lies at the two opposing ends: first, with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) cadre that has been politically trained by taking the oath to the Indian Constitution and the other, the RSS cadre that has historically never accepted the Republic and its Constitution, as it is.
The litmus test of the Constitution as an electoral issue passed at both sites. It may be unacceptable or indigestible for someone to vouch for the RSS cadre breaking its loyalty with the BJP, but then read the recent statement of BJP President JP Nadda that says, “We have grown, more capable now… the BJP runs itself”. Before coming to the RSS, let us look into the “Mission Villages” of UP.
Kanshiram, the stalwart of contemporary Dalit politics in India had adopted hundreds of villages and transformed them for the cause of Ambedkarite thought and emancipation. These “mission villages” still exist, mostly with a Bauddha Vihar and idols of Kanshiram and Ambedkar. These villages voted en mass for BSP but they had decided to vote for the SP-Congress alliance in this election. Why?
An octogenarian Ambedkarite from Mohanlalganj constituency Sunderlal Bharti aka ‘Netaji’ says, “We know that Behenji has nothing to do with these elections except retaining her votes. We will see her in 2027 assembly elections. This time we vote for the constitution. Every BSP cadre understands this much politics”.
His village Kevalpur resounds. Be it Pasi, Raidasi or other sub-castes of Dalits, they were seen inclined towards the alliance, not BSP. Even some Jatav voters were talking of voting for the alliance to save the Constitution.
A close confidant of Mayawati confirms this when he says, “That is why Akash Anand was dumped in the mid-course. He was disturbing and confusing our voters with his fiery speeches. We are just eying 19% of our traditional vote share, no seat this time. Our real battle is in 2027 when SP will get decimated and we will be in direct contest with the BJP”.
Akash Anand, the young face of BSP 2.0 launched his electoral campaign from the Nagina constituency of UP in April first week and immediately caught the eye of the storm when he was booked for a speech in Sitapur. After that FIR he was asked to sit back. Mayawati publicly said that he was still ‘immature’. Media had then speculated that BSP voters would get disillusioned by this action and vote for the BJP.
On the contrary, Bharti says, “It was a good decision. Anyways we knew where to vote. Behenji knows tactics”. And then he asks, “Aap tactics jaante hain?” Tactical voting has been the feature of BSP politics since its inception.
This is also true of the RSS, the parent body of the BJP. RSS has been working for the BJP for such a long time that the opposition, especially Rahul Gandhi equates both in his speeches. But it is not reflected in RSS cadres’ conversations, nor do voters on the ground talk synonymously of both. And theoretically too, RSS does not always work for the BJP. This time the difference is stark
Manoj Gupta, an ex-president of BJP and four-decades-old RSS cadre from Bundelkhand said, “In the SP government we had ample space to fight for our cause. We protested and even forced the administration to nab corrupt SP leaders who were later sent to jail. In the BJP regime, we find the space of dissent shrinking”.
It was an unusual statement from a BJP functionary. He kept on talking about the illegal mining and timber trade in Bundelkhand. He was angry with the local BJP MP and MLA’s. In the last ten years of BJP regime, he complained that nothing had changed but the right to dissent was under direct attack.
The same complaint was voiced by the upper-caste RSS cadre from Etawah who teaches at a college, “I tried to bring in some academic changes; secured a research project for the college, organised a national level seminar. Immediately I became a thorn in the powers be. They were corrupt leaders. I complained to the local MP. Nothing happened. Finally, I manoeuvred and now things are smooth. I have shut up my mouth”.
What about the vote? Gupta, sitting in his one-bedroom house said, “This is the last time. Just for the nation. No more after this. 2027 will see a revolt”. Others half a dozen men accompanying us on evening tea and each one affiliated with the RSS opined that they were now exhausted with the internal corruption of Sangh and BJP. The city in charge of the organisation said, “No space for good and committed people left here. We are not going to campaign this time. Will decide on the voting day what to do”.
Constitution never came literally in these conversations but the shrinking space for dissent and protest was significant. And this is throughout UP. Some caste considerations are also playing a role in this dissatisfaction. A senior journalist said, “Most of the BJP and RSS functionaries are from the same caste as the Chief Minister. This has made committed RSS workers hostile”. BSP has played upon this dissatisfaction by fielding Brahmin candidates on those seats where RSS has gone cold.
An old RSS functionary from PM Modi’s constituency Varanasi revealed that it had planned to boycott the BJP in 2019. In fact, the widespread destruction caused by the Kashi Vishwanath corridor had left many old RSS functionaries disgruntled. Many had lost their homes and shops around it but the internal dissent was not enough to minimally affect the results. This time the rift has become global.
This may be the reason that Mohan Bhagwat has openly called for not celebrating 100 years of RSS in 2025. The statement came as a surprise just before the first phase because the organisation had chalked out a vast plan for centenary celebrations in March third week when the highest body Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha met in Nagpur. After that, the low voter turnout in successive polls indicated BJP voters’ disillusionment and an inactive RSS. Finally, JP Nadda’s statement confirmed the impending divorce between BJP and RSS, if it is to be believed.
Whatever the case, the cadre of BSP and RSS both are facing the heat of an authoritarian regime. The extent and intent may differ in both cases but this has made space for the Constitution to fill in as an overarching issue of GE 2024. But this has not happened overnight. Discourse over the Constitution started simmering in 2019 and gained momentum after the COVID-induced lockdown was lifted.
(This is the first article of a two-part series on the subject)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that Congress considers country as its property and feels that Rahul Gandhi is its heir adding that INDIA bloc is not decisive over their Prime Ministerial face and has decided to run the nation on “five PMs in five years’ formula.
“Congress considers the country as its property, it feels that the ‘Shehzada’ is the only heir. However, the alliance partners are saying that there will be 5 Prime Ministers in 5 years. Can such a big country run like this? Corruption is so deeply ingrained in their culture, that it appears to the country as a bundle of notes,” PM Modi said while addressing a public rally in Bihar’s Buxar on Saturday.
Further, launching an attack on the INDI alliance over appeasement, the Prime Minister said, “These INDI alliance people can do anything for appeasement, for their vote bank. They want to get your property X-rayed. Congress says that Muslims have the first right to the country’s property. They want to end the reservation for SC-ST-OBC.”
PM Modi also slammed the Congress, RJD and the INDI alliance for “creating obstacles in every sacred work.”
“After 500 years, a grand Ram temple was built in Ayodhya and the dream of all of you has come true. I felt so proud. But when the whole country was celebrating, when the people of Buxar were sending gifts for Ram Lalla, then who were those people who were boycotting the Pran Pratishtha? These are the same people of the Congress-RJD and INDI alliance, who create obstacles in every sacred work,” PM Modi said.
“He (Rahul Gandhi) was saying yesterday that Modi is going to lose the election in Banaras… He also said that the INDI alliance is going to win all 80 seats in UP… Even his party people were laughing after hearing this,” he added.
The sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections is underway with a voter tunrout of 49.2 per cent recorded so far across 58 constituencies, according to the Election Commission of India.
As per the ECI, West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout (70.19 per cent) followed by Jharkhand (54.34 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (43.95 per cent), Odisha (48.44 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (44.41 per cent), Bihar (45.21 per cent), Haryana (46.26 per cent), and Delhi (44.58 per cent).
The sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls includes eight seats in Bihar, all 10 seats in Haryana, one seat in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Jharkhand, all seven seats in Delhi, six in Odisha, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, and eight in West Bengal. A total of 889 candidates are in the fray.
Polling has already been completed on 428 parliamentary constituencies for 25 states and UTs in the first five phases of general elections.
The Lok Sabha elections will be completed on June 1 after the seventh phase of polls in which voters from 57 constituencies will exercise their franchise. The results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)
The sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections for 58 parliamentary constituencies saw a cumulative voter turnout of 49.2 per cent till 3 pm, as per the data shared by the Election Commission on Saturday.
According to the poll body, West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout (70.19 per cent) followed by Jharkhand (54.34 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (43.95 per cent), Odisha (48.44 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (44.41 per cent), Bihar (45.21 per cent), Haryana (46.26 per cent), and Delhi (44.58 per cent).
The sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls includes eight seats in Bihar, all 10 seats in Haryana, one seat in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Jharkhand, all seven seats in Delhi, six in Odisha, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, and eight in West Bengal. A total of 889 candidates are in the fray.
Voting for the forty-two assembly constituencies in Odisha is also underway in the sixth phase. Assembly elections are being held in the state simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections in the state.
All parliamentary seats in Delhi and Haryana went to polls in this phase.
Some key seats in this phase include New Delhi, North-East Delhi, North-West Delhi and Chandni Chowk in the national capital and Sultanpur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri, West Bengal’s Tamluk, Medinipur, Haryana’s Karnal, Kurukshetra, Gurgaon, Rohtak and Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, Puri and Sambalpur are some of the other key seats. Stakes are high for the BJP as also for the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, and other constituents of the INDIA bloc in this phase of the election.
Polling has already been completed on 428 parliamentary constituencies for 25 states and UTs in the first five phases of general elections.
Over 11.13 crore voters, include 5.84 crore males, 5.29 crore females and 5120 third gender electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls. Around 11.4 lakh polling officials will be involved in conducting this phase of the election.
The Lok Sabha elections will be completed on June 1 after the seventh phase of polls in which voters from 57 constituencies will exercise their franchise. The results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)
In an unprecedented and momentous event, Anasuya Sengupta has become the first Indian actor to win the prestigious Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival.
This historic achievement was for her remarkable performance in ‘The Shameless’, a gripping film that competed in the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th edition of the festival.
“This is for the queer community everywhere, and all other marginalized communities all over the world, for bravely fighting a fight they shouldn’t have to fight,” Anasuya passionately stated upon receiving her award.
“More female gaze is the way forward, and the browner the better,” she added.
The 77th Cannes Film Festival has been a significant event for India.
In addition to Anasuya’s groundbreaking win, Shyam Benegal’s classic ‘Manthan’ had a special screening, marking almost 48 years since its original release.
The festival also saw a dazzling array of Indian celebrities and influencers making waves on the red carpet.
This year, Indian films and actors garnered numerous nominations across various categories, underscoring India’s growing influence in global cinema.
Anasuya Sengupta, hailing from Kolkata, delivered an extraordinary performance as Renuka in ‘The Shameless,’ directed by Bulgarian filmmaker Konstantin Bojanov.
The film narrates the harrowing yet empowering journey of Renuka, who escapes a brothel in Delhi after killing a police officer.
The narrative also explores her complex relationship with her love interest, portrayed by Omara Shetty.
Adding to the Indian triumph at Cannes 2024, two Indian films clinched top honours in the La Cinef Selection.
‘Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know,’ a Kannada short film directed by Chidananda Naik, a student from the Film and Television Institute of India, secured first place.
Meanwhile, ‘Bunnyhood,’ directed by Mansi Maheshwari from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, and currently studying in the UK, claimed the third place.
As the 77th Cannes Film Festival concluded on May 25, it marked a significant milestone for Indian cinema on the global stage. (ANI)
In a heart-wrenching announcement, the world bids farewell to Kabosu, the Shiba Inu whose cheerful expression became the legendary ‘doge’ meme and the face of Dogecoin.
Kabosu passed away peacefully at her home in Sakura, a city east of Tokyo, on Friday. She was 18 years old.
Kabosu’s owner, Atsuko Sato, shared the news on social media, writing, “To all of you who loved Kabosu, On the morning of the 24th of May, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you all so much for your support over the years. She went very peacefully without suffering, as if falling asleep while feeling the warmth of my hands petting her.”
Sato continued, “Thank you all so much for loving Kabosu all these years. I am certain that Kabosu was the happiest dog in the world. That makes me the happiest owner in the world. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to everyone who has sent us much love.”
According to Deadline, Kabosu’s journey to fame began in 2008 when Sato, a kindergarten teacher, adopted her from a shelter after a Shiba Inu breeder went out of business.
Sato’s social media posts of Kabosu, showcasing the dog’s joyful grin and expressive eyes, quickly captured the hearts of followers worldwide.
Fans began adding playful captions like “Much awake!” and “Such wow!” to Kabosu’s photos, cementing her status as an internet phenomenon.
One particular image of Kabosu, with her head tilted, eyes looking directly into the camera, and an enigmatic smile became iconic. This image not only solidified her place in meme history but also inspired the logo of Dogecoin.
In a 2013 interview obtained by Deadline, Sato revealed that Kabosu was named after a round Japanese citrus fruit while at the shelter. “I thought the name was perfect, so I kept it,” she said.
The global community that embraced Kabosu’s charm and wit will remember her fondly.
A farewell party for Kabosu is planned for Sunday in Narita, where fans and friends can pay their respects to the dog who brought joy and laughter to so many. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi came to Shimla for holidays but did not go to the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya as they are afraid of their vote bank.
Addressing a rally in support of BJP candidate Anurag Thakur here today, Amit Shah said that there is a person like Narendra Modi who has not taken a leave for 23 years.
“Rahul Baba and his sister came to Shimla for holidays, but they did not go to the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla. They did not go because they were afraid of their vote bank. In this election, on one side there is Rahul Baba who celebrates holidays every six months and on the other side there is Narendra Modi ji who eats sweets with army soldiers on the border without taking any leave even for Diwali for 23 years,” Shah said.
“We are crossing 400 but Rahul Baba is once again falling below 40,” he added.
Further, the Home Minister said that the INDIA bloc does not have any face for the PM post.
“The INDI alliance does not have a candidate for the post of Prime Minister. A journalist asked him who would become your Prime Minister. So he replied that one person each would become one in turn for one year. Rahul Baba, this is not a grocery shop, this is a country of 140 crore people,” he said.
Shah also emphasized that PM Modi has crossed 310 seats in the five phases of the Lok Sabha election.
“Five phases of elections have been completed, today the sixth phase of voting is going on. PM Modi has crossed 310 in five phases. PM Modi has to be made the Prime Minister again by crossing 400 in the sixth and seventh phases. Those in the seventh phase have the responsibility to let him cross 400,” he added.
Praising union minister Anurag Thakur, Shah said that even if the people search with a lamp, no one can find such an MP like Thakur.
“I have known Anurag for a long time. I was the president of the Yuva Morcha when we were together. Then he worked in the Cricket Association and now working in Modi Ji’s cabinet. Even if you search with a lamp, you will not find such an MP. He not only cared about his area but also worked to mobilize the youth across the country with the BJP and its ideology,” Amit Shah said. (ANI)
Slamming the former Pakistan minister Fawad Hussain over his remark on the general elections in India, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the situation in Pakistan is very bad and he should take care of it.
In a post on X, Pakistan ex-minister Fawad Hussain while reacting to Kejriwal’s post on voting said, “May peace and harmony defeat forces of hate and extremism.”
Reacting to it, Kejriwal said, “Chaudhary Sahab, I and the people of my country are fully capable of handling our issues. Your tweet is not needed. The situation in Pakistan is very bad right now. You take care of your country.”
“The elections taking place in India are our internal matter. India will not tolerate interference from the biggest sponsors of terrorism,” Kejirwal further said.
Earlier today, Delhi CM Kejriwal along with his family cast their vote in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls.
After casting his vote, the Delhi CM said he had voted to end unemployment and inflation.
“I voted today with my father, wife and children. My mother is very ill. She could not go. I voted against dictatorship, unemployment and inflation. You too must go and vote,” he said.
Meanwhile, voting is underway across 58 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two Union Territories (UTs) is underway. Voting is underway in all 7 of Delhi’s Lok Sabha seats and all 10 seats in Haryana.
The riveting contest in Delhi has AAP and Congress jointly taking on the BJP, which won all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital in the last two elections. While Congress is contesting on three seats in the national capital, AAP is contesting on four. The two parties are part of the INDIA bloc.
The Lok Sabha elections will end on June 1 after the seventh phase of polls in which voters from 57 constituencies will exercise their franchise. The results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)
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Cookie associated with sites using CloudFlare, used to speed up page load times. According to CloudFlare it is used to override any security restrictions based on the IP address the visitor is coming from. It does not contain any user identification information.
Cookie associated with sites using CloudFlare, used to identify trusted web traffic.
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These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how a website works.
This cookie name is associated with Google Universal Analytics - which is a significant update to Google's more commonly used analytics service. This cookie is used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. It is included in each page request in a site and used to calculate visitor, session and campaign data for the sites analytics reports. By default it is set to expire after 2 years, although this is customisable by website owners.
This cookie name is associated with Google Universal Analytics, according to documentation it is used to throttle the request rate - limiting the collection of data on high traffic sites. It expires after 10 minutes.
This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visited in an anonymous form.
These cookies are used by Youtube, Google, Twitter, and Facebook to deliver adverts that are relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.
This cookie is usually associated with the ShareThis social sharing widget placed in a site to enable sharing of content across various social networks. It counts clicks and shares of a page.
