Facebook, Instagram Back After Hour-Long Outage In India, Other Countries

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 5, 2024 | top-stories

Meta has responded to the global outage.

Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Messenger – platforms managed by Meta – were down for over an hour on Tuesday evening for thousands of users in India and several other countries.

Users were unable to load apps, deliver messages and refresh their search feeds on Facebook and Instagram. There were more than 300,000 reports of outages on Facebook, while there were more than 20,000 reports on Instagram, according to the website. Several users were logged out of their Facebook accounts and because of the outage, they are not able to log back in.

“Earlier today, a technical issue caused people to have difficulty accessing some of our services. We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we apologize for any inconvenience,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said.

Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources including user-submitted errors on its platform, showed the outages were experienced not just in India, but in several other countries – the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Brazil.

WhatsApp, also owned by Meta, did not report any outage, but newly launched X rival Threads was down.

Within minutes of the outage, people moved to Elon Musk-owned X and #Instagramdown, Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg are trending on the social media platform, with users sharing memes over the global server issue.

As users jumped to X to find out more about the outage, the social media giant made a cheeky comment, saying “We know why you all are here right now.”

we know why you’re all here rn

— X (@X) March 5, 2024

Elon Musk, the owner of X, wasn’t far behind, he took a jibe at Meta and said, “If you’re reading this post, it’s because our servers are working.”

If you’re reading this post, it’s because our servers are working

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2024

Last year, a major outage was reported in July across Meta platforms including WhatsApp. The services were restored later in the day. The outage in July came weeks after a similar issue was reported in June.

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Influencer Jay Shetty Lied About Past, Plagiarised Instagram Posts: Report

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 5, 2024 | top-stories

The report alleged that Jay Shetty also misrepresented certain aspects of his biography

British podcaster and life coach Jay Shetty is under scrutiny after claims emerged that he plagiarized social media posts and lied about his life story.

Jay Shetty’s official website states, “During his school years, Jay Shetty spent vacations living with monks in India, immersing himself in their wisdom and teachings.”

However, a report by The Guardian claims that Mr Shetty, author of the bestselling book ‘Think Like A Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day’, falsely claimed to have spent three years in a temple in India.

The 36-year-old, who was born in London and went to business school, hosts the “On Purpose” podcast, wherein he has welcomed guests like Michelle Obama, Kim Kardashian and the late Kobe Bryant, among others.

He also runs the Jay Shetty Certification School, where “students pay thousands of dollars to learn the Jay Shetty discipline”.

However, the investigative report casts doubt on the accuracy of Mr Shetty’s own narrative and educational qualifications.

The report stated, “After graduating, Shetty forgoes a life of material success to live as a monk himself. Three years later, he has another revelation: his purpose in life is not to live the humble life of a monk but to use his preternatural oratory skills to share wisdom with the world. Thus begins his transformation into a public self-help personality and his swift rise to fame. Shetty’s success is largely predicated on this riches-to-rags-to-riches backstory.”

The report alleged that Mr Shetty also misrepresented certain aspects of his biography, including the story about how his life was changed at the age of 18 when he heard a lecture by a monk.

It added that Mr Shetty’s resume includes a degree in behavioural science from a business school that doesn’t even offer the course.

The report claimed that Mr Shetty uses his spiritual identity to make huge sums of money.

It stated, “Shetty is hardly the first self-help guru to embellish his spiritual credentials to amass followers, but he demands huge sums of money for his guidance. Shetty has used his spiritual authority to launch a number of subscription and education services, including the life-coaching school, which charges $7,400 a term for “Postgraduate Diploma (Level 7) qualifications” – equivalent to a master’s degree.”

Regarding his association with the Hare Krishna movement, Mr Shetty has been reportedly reserved, possibly due to controversies surrounding the organisation.

“Shetty avoids mentioning Iskcon, instead describing himself as a “Vedic monk”,” stated the report.

It must be noted that Jay Shetty has been battling with accusations of plagiarism for years now.

The report stated that in 2019, Jay Shetty removed over 100 posts from YouTube and Instagram after YouTuber Nicole Arbour exposed the original sources behind his stories.

Talking about the plagiarised social media content, the report said, “Many of Shetty’s “original” videos were based on pre-existing parables and social media posts that had gone viral years earlier.”

It added, “After Arbour’s video, Shetty ordered his employees to go through all posts and include attributions to content that had been taken from elsewhere. He deleted more than 100 posts. He also hired a crisis PR firm, which launched a robust search engine optimization campaign, according to a former employee of Shetty’s.”

Most recently, Mr Shetty officiated the wedding of Hollywood stars Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.

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“You Should Support Us”: Chief Justice Jokes With Abhishek Singhvi In AAP Case

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 4, 2024 | top-stories

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud joked with top lawyer Abhishek Singhvi during the hearing

New Delhi:

Intense arguments in the case related to Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) alleged encroachment were interspersed with some humour this afternoon when Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud told senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi that he should not have appeared for the political party in this case. “In this matter, you should not appear. You cannot oppose land for Delhi High Court. You should be supporting us,” the Chief Justice told Mr Singhvi in a lighter vein.

The court today ordered the Arvind Kejriwal-led party to vacate the plot on Delhi’s Rouse Avenue, now called Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, by June 15. It noted that the land was allotted to the Delhi High Court for expanding its infrastructure.

The three-judge bench of Chief Justice Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra has asked AAP to approach the Land and Development office for an alternate plot for its headquarters. The court said it would request the Land and Development office to respond to AAP’s application within four weeks. The department comes under the Centre’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Arguing on behalf of AAP, Mr Singhvi said the party is entitled to a plot for its headquarters and underlined that it is among six national parties in the country. “I cannot be put on the road ahead of the elections. This matter can be solved through some political cooperation,” said Mr Singhvi, also a senior Congress leader. He said the party has been offered a plot in Badarpur. “They are telling us that as a national party, we get nothing. I am given Badarpur, while others are at better places. Let all the parties then relocate to Badarpur,” Mr Singhvi said.

The Chief Justice responded, “You are using our good offices to get a plot. How can we permit it?”

In the course of the arguments, Mr Singhvi also said the Delhi High Court is his parent court. “I don’t want them to be denied space,” he said.

Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said AAP must vacate the plot. “How can they hold the Supreme Court and High Court to ransom,” he asked.

The Supreme last month pulled up AAP over the alleged encroachment. “No one can take law into their own hands. How can a political party sit tight on that? Unencumbered possession must be given to the High Court. What will the High Court use it for? Only for the public and citizens. Why was the land then allotted to the High Court?” the Chief Justice had said.

The court took note of the matter while looking at cases related to judicial infrastructure across the country.

The AAP has denied allegations of encroachment. It has said the plot was allotted to the party by the Delhi government. Mr Singhvi today said the plot was allotted to AAP in 2015. Amicus Curiae K Parmeshwar pointed out that the plot was earmarked in 2022 for the construction of family courts, and noted that nothing was brought to the notice of the High Court to show that the land had been allotted to any political party.

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Car Almost Falls Into Giant Crater After Lucknow Road Caves In

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 3, 2024 | top-stories

A car was seen hanging on the edge of the giant pothole in Lucknow.

A massive sinkhole appeared on a road in Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow today after heavy rain. In visuals, a car was seen dangerously hanging on the edge of the giant pothole as a portion of the road caved in.

Several passersby were seen around the pothole in the city’s Vikas Nagar area, recording the scene on their mobile phone.

Lucknow divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob has sought a report from the Public Works Department within 24 hours regarding the matter. Orders have also been given to repair the road immediately.

Heavy rain and hailstorms hit parts of Uttar Pradesh today, resulting in four deaths from separate lightning strike incidents. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the concerned district magistrates to promptly provide permissible financial assistance to affected individuals, including cases of livestock loss and damage to houses due to disasters like lightning, hailstorm, heavy rain, and storms.

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In Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Chouhan Gets Ticket, Pragya Thakur Does Not

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 3, 2024 | top-stories

At least four of Mr Chouhan’s loyalists have also got tickets.

Bhopal:

In the BJP’s list of 195 candidates announced on Saturday, 24 are for the 29 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh. As the party looks to better its stupendous record of winning 28 seats in 2019, it has given tickets to former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia while replacing controversial MP Pragya Singh Thakur in Bhopal with another candidate.

Ms Thakur is one of six sitting MPs who have been denied tickets and 13 sitting MPs have been repeated.

Two-and-a-half months after he stepped down as BJP’s longest-serving chief minister in the country to make way for Mohan Yadav, Mr Chouhan, who has been named the candidate from Vidisha, told NDTV: “I am grateful to the central leadership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.”

The former chief minister, who won the seat five times between 1996 and 2005, insisted there were “no ifs” as far as his chances in the upcoming polls were concerned. “I am very close to the people of Vidisha, we are like family. The roadmap for Vidisha is ready. The BJP will win all 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh and the state will put 29 garlands on PM Modi,” he said.

Vidisha is considered one of the BJP’s fortresses in the country and was won by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1991 and former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj in 2009 and 2014.

Union Minister and former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has been named the candidate from Guna, a seat he had held since 2002 until his loss to the BJP’s Krishna Pal Singh Yadav in 2019.

Loyalists Rewarded

At least four of Mr Chouhan’s loyalists have got tickets. Former Bhopal mayor Alok Sharma (who lost from the Bhopal Uttar seat in last year’s Assembly elections) has been fielded from Bhopal, state Kisan Morcha head Darshan Singh Chaudhary from Hoshangabad and sitting MP Rodmal Nagar from Rajgarh.

Anita Nagar Singh Chouhan, who is the wife of the former chief minister’s loyalist, Nagar Singh Chouhan, has been named the candidate for the Ratlam-Jhabua (ST) seat.

Bharat Singh Kushwah, a loyalist of Assembly Speaker and former Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar, has been given a ticket from the Gwalior seat despite losing the Assembly polls from the Gwalior Rural constituency last year. Two other loyalists of Mr Tomar, sitting MP Sandhya Rai and former MLA Shivmangal Singh Tomar, have been named as candidates from the Bhind (SC) and Morena seats respectively. These constituencies are in the Gwalior-Chambal region.

MPs Denied Tickets

Apart from Ms Thakur, five other sitting MPs have also been denied tickets.

While Jyotiraditya Scindia has got the ticket from Guna in place of KP Singh Yadav, Rajbahadur Singh, the sitting MP from Sagar, has been replaced by former Women’s Commission chairperson Lata Wankhede.

Anita Nagar Singh Chauhan has replaced GS Damor in Ratlam-Jhabua,

Ramakant Bhargava has made way for Shivraj Chouhan, and former minister Bharat Singh Kushwah getting the ticket in Gwalior meant that Vivek Shejwalkar did not.

The 13 sitting MPs who have been fielded again from their seats include Union minister and 3-time MP Virendra Kumar, who will contest from the Tikamgarh-SC seat. Virendra Kumar Khatik, the seniormost sitting MP, has got the Lok Sabha election ticket for the eighth time.

State BJP chief VD Sharma will contest from Khajuraho, Himadri Singh from Shahdol (ST), Ganesh Singh from Satna and six-time MP Faggan Singh Kulaste from Mandla (ST). Both Mr Singh and Mr Kulaste had contested the Assembly polls and lost.

In the list of 24 candidates, eight are from the OBC community, five are Brahmins and four are women.

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Diamond Watch And Supercars: Tobacco Baron's Lavish Lifestyle Under Probe

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 2, 2024 | top-stories

New Delhi:

After establishing itself as a key player in the tobacco industry, the Banshidhar Company has come under the radar of Income Tax authorities who are working round the clock to unravel the company’s web of deception. The department today carried out raids at the home and offices of the company’s head KK Mishra.

Banshidhar Tobacco Private Limited is a major player in the tobacco industry and is known for supplying products to major pan masala groups. Reports suggest that the company has a declared income of Rs 20 to 25 crore when the actual turnover was pegged at Rs 100-150 crore. The searches so far have revealed a trail of clandestine dealings and opulent lifestyles.

In today’s raids, the agency seized several expensive watches belonging to Shivam Mishra, the scion of the tobacco company. One of the watches, diamond-studded, is worth nearly Rs 2.5 crore rupees, sources in the agency said.

Seven crore rupees in cash, along with jewellery and other assets, have also been seized, intensifying the scrutiny on the group’s financial affairs.

The agency has already seized a collection of luxury cars, all bearing the number plate ‘4018’, from Shivam Mishra’s home in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar.

Fifteen to 20 teams carried out raids across five states, metaphorically shaking down every tobacco leaf linked to Banshidhar Tobacco Company, to stumble upon a treasure trove of luxury cars worth a staggering Rs 50 crore; among them, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, priced at a cool Rs 16 crore, found at Shivam Mishra’s home in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar.

The raids, being executed with military precision, reveal an empire built on deceit and financial manipulations. There is a major gap between the company’s declared income and the actual turnover and the officials believe that they hid their money using offshore accounts and manipulated ledgers, sources said.

KK Mishra, the once-untouchable patriarch, now finds himself entangled in a web of his own making. The Banshidhar Tobacco Limited, once an impenetrable fortress, now stands exposed, its foundations cracked, and its secrets laid bare.

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