Man found murdered in pond; victim is BJP worker, say BJP leaders

Agencies
July 3, 2018

Kolkata, Jul 3: The body of a 52-year-old man, whom the BJP claimed as its worker, was found floating in a pond in Murshidabad district, triggering a fresh war of words between the saffron party and the ruling TMC.

Dhormo Hazra, missing since Sunday, was found on the surface of the water body close to his village in Taldanga area of the district yesterday, a police officer said today.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident, but no arrests have been made so far, he said.

Coming close on heels of the killing of three persons, reportedly associated with the BJP, in Purulia as a fall out of the recent rural polls, the Murshidabad death has sparked off a political blame game.

While, the BJP accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of orchestrating his killing, the charge was rubbished by the party.

West Bengal BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu, who is presently in New Delhi, said he along with Mukul Roy met union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and complained about the incident.

"We have informed Rajnathji about the incident. Its shameful that TMC has taken up the politics of annihilation to eliminate its political enemies," Basu said.

The family members of Hazra were targeted by TMC for last few years and his brother was arrested few days ago in a false case, he claimed.

BJP president Amit Shah too condemned the incident.

"TMC shames humanity, yet again. Another BJP karyakarta killed in the most barbaric manner. In Mamata's regime, West Bengal has become an epitome of violence and brutality. Entire BJP stands firmly with Dhormo Hazra's family in this hour of grief. My deepest condolences," BJP president Amit Shah said in a tweet.

BJPs district president (north) Gouri Shankar Ghosh alleged Hazra was receiving threats from goons associated with TMC since the panchayat polls.

However, the Trinamool Congress refuted all the charges.

The TMC in a statement said BJP should stop making baseless allegations. They should either prove what they are claiming or face a defamation suit.

"Presenting judge, jury, executioners of #NewIndia - @bjp4bengal @amitshah @dilipghoshBJP @supriyobabul shamelessly spreading lies about #Bengal Their worker died but even before any investigations carried out they concoct. Not waiting for autopsy report? Prove or face defamation," the TMC said in a statement.

To improve its tally in the upcoming general elections in the state, the BJP, which at present has two MPs from West Bengal, is sparing no opportunity to pin the TMC.

The saffron party has made steady inroads in various districts and has emerged as the main opposition party in the state after recent three-tier panchayat elections and assembly by-election at Maheshtala.

Addressing a public meeting in Purulia on June 28, BJP chief Amit Shah had lashed out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for "unleashing violence" on her political rivals.

He had said that the sacrifice of his party workers will not go waste and it will win 22 of the state's 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

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News Network
February 18,2020

Washington, Feb 18: The upcoming visit of President Donald Trump to India later this month has the potential to usher in a new era of bilateral ties between the two countries, a top American business advocacy group has said.

President Trump will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He would be accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump.

This would be the president's first bilateral visit in the third decade of the 21st century and also the first after his acquittal by the Senate in the impeachment trial.

"I believe President Trump's upcoming visit to India has the potential to usher in a new era of our bilateral ties," Mukesh Aghi, President of the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) said in a statement on Monday.

On the sidelines of the visit, the USISPF, in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the ORF, has announced to organise a program entitled "US-India Forum: Partners for Growth".

The full-day discussion will focus on the key pillars defining India and the US' strategic, economic, and cultural partnership over the next decade.

"We have an opportunity before us to make real progress on multiple aspects of the relationship— whether it is upholding peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region; building upon an already strong energy partnership; developing co-production and co-development opportunities in the defense space; or strengthening bilateral trade," Aghi said.

"We look forward to an extremely successful visit and some concrete outcomes from the visit," he said.

The day-long programme on February 25 in New Delhi, will bring together over 500 senior business executives, members of the US-India think tank community and leading figures of the Indian diaspora to set the agenda for this strategic partnership.

Discussions during the day will touch upon areas, including the Indo-Pacific Strategy and Maritime Security; the US-India Defence Partnership, the US-India Energy Partnership, Elevating US-India Trade and Investment and Role of the Indian Diaspora in US-India Relations.

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Agencies
August 7,2020

Washington, Aug 7: US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) signed executive orders halting all transactions with Chinese applications TikTok and WeChat within 45 days, citing national security concerns, further escalating the tensions between Beijing and Washington.

"WeChat, a messaging, social media, and electronic payment application owned by the Chinese company Tencent Holdings Ltd., reportedly has over one billion users worldwide, including users in the United States. Like TikTok, WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. 

This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) access to Americans' personal and proprietary information," Trump said in a statement.

Citing reasons for the ban on WeChat, the US President said that the application captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the US, thereby providing the CCP a mechanism to keep tabs on the Chinese citizens who may be "enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives".

"In March 2019, a researcher reportedly discovered a Chinese database containing billions of WeChat messages sent from users in not only China but also the United States, Taiwan, South Korea and Australia. WeChat, like TikTok, also reportedly censors content that the CCP deems politically sensitive and may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the CCP. 

These risks have led other countries, including Australia and India, to begin restricting or banning the use of WeChat. The US must take aggressive action against the owner of WeChat to protect our national security," he added.

Earlier, Trump had issued an order banning TikTok as it "reportedly censors content that the CCP deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China's treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. 

TikTok may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the CCP."
US politicians have repeatedly criticised TikTok, owned by Beijing-based startup ByteDance, of being a threat to national security because of its ties to China.

The development comes as China and the US are at loggerheads on a variety of issues including Hong Kong national security law, the South China Sea, the novel coronavirus and trade.

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Agencies
March 14,2020

San Francisco, Mar 14: Microsoft on friday announced that co-founder Bill Gates has left its board of directors to devote more time to philanthropy.

The 64-year-old stopped being involved in day-to-day operations at the firm more than a decade ago, turning his attention to the foundation he launched with his wife, Melinda.

Gates served as chairman of Microsoft's board of directors until early in 2014 and has now stepped away entirely, according to the Redmond-based technology giant.

“It's been a tremendous honor and privilege to have worked with and learned from Bill over the years,” Microsoft chief executive and company veteran Satya Nadella said in a release.

Nadella said Microsoft would continue to benefit from Gates' “technical passion and advice” in his continuing role as a technical advisor.
“I am grateful for Bill's friendship and look forward to continuing to work alongside him,” he added.

Gates left his CEO position in 2000, handing the company reins to Steve Ballmer to devote more time to his charitable foundation.

He gave up the role of chairman at the same time Nadella became Microsoft's third CEO in 2014.

Regularly listed among the world's richest people, William H. Gates was a geeky-looking young man when he and Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft in 1975.

Gates went on to turn his attention from software to fighting disease and other humanitarian challenges with his wife, under the auspices of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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