Punjab civic body polls LIVE: Congress wins all 7 municipal corporations

Congress won all the seven municipal corporations in Punjab that went to the polls on February 14. Stay tuned for the latest news of the day.

2:58 AM

Facebook blocks news content in Australia as it blasts proposed law

Facebook Inc will block news content from being read and shared in its news feed in Australia, drawing a line in the sand against a proposed Australian law that would require it and Alphabet Inc’s Google to pay the country's news publishers for content.
 

The move, announced in a blog post on Wednesday, represents a divergence in responses among the big tech giants under attack by news publishers, which have blamed the companies for destroying their advertising business.
 

The Australian federal government has said it plans to put the legislation, which effectively force Google and Facebook to strike deals with media companies or have fees set for them, to a vote in the coming weeks.
 

Google has also threatened to shut down its search engine in the country to avoid "unworkable" content laws even as it has secured deals with publishers in the U.K., Germany, France, Brazil and Argentina for its Google News Showcase product.
 

On Wednesday, Google reached a landmark global deal with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, owner of the Wall Street Journal and two-thirds of Australia's major city newspapers, to develop a subscription platform and share advertising revenue.
 

Facebook said the proposed legislation "fundamentally misunderstands" the relationship between itself and publishers, arguing that news outlets voluntarily post their article links on Facebook, which helped Australian publishers earn about AU$407 million in 2020 through referrals.
 

2:45 AM

Does Modi govt still believe farm laws are popular, asks Chidambaram after Cong win in Punjab

After the Congress's victory in Punjab municipal elections, senior party leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday asked whether the Modi government still believed that farm laws are popular and only a small section of farmers of Punjab are protesting against them.
 

"The farmers are voters. So are migrant workers, MSMEs, the unemployed and the very poor families. When it is their turn, they will vote against the BJP like the Punjab voters.
 

"Does the Modi government still believe that the farm laws are popular and only a small 'section' of farmers of Punjab are protesting against them," he asked on Twitter.
 

"The MEA is fast losing credibility by becoming the Ministry of Extraordinary Apologists for the government's wrong domestic policies," he also said.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said that the anger brewing in Punjab has given a befitting reply to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 

11:51 PM

Bengal labour minister injured after unknown persons hurled crude bombs, hospitalised

West Bengal Labour Minister (MoS) Jakir Hossain injured after unidentified persons hurled crude bombs at him while he was walking towards Nimtita station to board train for Kolkata. He has been taken to a hospital, according to ANI.

11:36 PM

Congress sweeps Punjab civic polls, boost for Amarinder

The ruling Congress on Wednesday swept the urban body polls in Punjab, winning six municipal corporations, emerging as the largest party in the seventh and bagging most of the 109 municipal council and nagar panchayats, according to PTI. The Congress won Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Abohar, Batala and Pathankot corporations in the civic polls on February 7, held against the backdrop of the farmers' agitation over the new agri-marketing laws.

In Moga, the party has fallen short by just six seats to get a majority in the municipal corporation. The opposition was routed also in the simultaneous polls for 109 municipal council and nagar panchayats. Out of the 1,817 wards at that level, the Congress won 1,102. The SAD won 252, the AAP 51, the BJP 29 and the Bahujan Samaj Party 5. Independents got 374, as per PTI.

Mohali too went to the polls but the counting for that corporation will take place Thursday, delayed because of a repoll at two booths. The outcome comes as a boost to the Congress, which has been backing the protest by farmers a majority of them from Punjab and Haryana against the BJP-led government.

10:47 PM

PM Modi to address Visva-Bharati university convocation on Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the convocation of the Visva-Bharati University on Friday via video conferencing, the Prime Minister's Office said.

 

West Bengal Governor and Rector of Visva-Bharati Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Union MoS for Education Sanjay Dhotre will also be present on the occasion. Prime Minister Modi will address the convocation of Visva-Bharati on February 19 at 11 AM via video conferencing, the PMO said in a statement. Read more

9:39 PM

Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, in hospital

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has been admitted to hospital after feeling unwell, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday, according to a PTI copy. The 99-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II was taken to King Edward VII Hospital in London on the advice of his doctor as a precautionary measure. His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to the King Edward VII hospital in London, on Tuesday evening, the palace statement said, as per PTI.

The duke's admission is a precautionary measure, on the advice of His Royal Highness's doctor, after feeling unwell. The duke is expected to remain in hospital for a few days of observation and rest, the statement added as per PTI. The Duke, who has been at Windsor Castle with the 94-year-old monarch for the coronavirus lockdown period, travelled by car to the hospital in London and is said to have walked into the hospital unaided. The Queen remains at Windsor Castle.

8:49 PM

Uttarakhand disaster: ITBP-DRDO team reaches artificial lake site

8:44 PM

India is directly sending vaccines to friends and partners: EAM Dr S Jaishankar

India is directly sending vaccines to friends and partners. Starting with our immediate neighbours, 25 nations across the world have already received 'Made in India' vaccines. 49 more countries will be supplied in the coming days: EAM Dr S Jaishankar

8:35 PM

Stop 'Vaccine nationalism'; indeed, actively encourage internationalism: Jaishankar at UNSC

Stop 'Vaccine nationalism'; indeed, actively encourage internationalism: Dr S Jaishankar at UNSC

8:13 PM

Kings XI Punjab renamed as Punjab Kings ahead of IPL 2021 auction

Kings XI Punjab was on Wednesday renamed as Punjab Kings ahead of the 2021 IPL auction on Thursday in Chennai. The news agency PTI had reported of the name change on February 15. A new logo was also unveiled on Wednesday.

 

Speaking about the new brand identity, team CEO Satish Menon said: "Punjab Kings is a more evolved brand name, and we understand it was a right time for us to move focus on the core brand itself."

"The change in brand identity is not about changing our brand ethos but celebrating our one-ness as we stand in unit like a family. The new logo honors the liveliness and vibrancy of the brand and provides modern elements, while we stand out from rest of the teams." READ MORE...