MOSCOW: A Moscow court banned Facebook and Instagram on Monday for what it deemed extremist activity in a case against their parent company, Meta.

Prosecutors have accused the social media platforms of ignoring government requests to remove what they described as fake news about the Russian military action in Ukraine and calls for protests in Russia.

The court’s ruling bans Meta from opening offices and doing business in Russia.

Meta declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

Prosecutors haven’t requested to ban the Meta-owned messaging service WhatsApp, which is widely popular in Russia.

The authorities also emphasized that they do not intend to punish individual Russians who use Facebook or Instagram.

Instagram and Facebook were already blocked in Russia after the communications and media regulator Roskomnadzor said they were being used to call for violence against Russian soldiers.

In addition to blocking Facebook and Instagram, Russian authorities also have shut access to foreign media websites.

The court’s verdict comes amid multipronged efforts by Russian authorities to control the message amid the military action in Ukraine, which the Kremlin describes as a “special military operation” intended to uproot alleged “neo-Nazi nationalists.”

A new law fast-tracked on March 4 by the Kremlin-controlled parliament, a week after Russia launched the attack on Ukraine, envisions prison terms of up to 15 years for posting “fake” information about the military that differs from the official narrative.

Russia has warned that relations with the US are “on the verge of a breach” and summoned the US ambassador for an official protest against President Joe Biden’s criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement Monday referred to “recent unacceptable statements” by Biden about Putin.

Biden referred to Putin last week as a “war criminal” in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Foreign Ministry says that at the meeting with US ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan “it was emphasized that remarks such as these by the American President, which are unworthy of a state figure of such a high rank, put Russian-American relations on the verge of a breach.”

President Joe Biden is urging U.S. companies to make sure their digital doors are locked tight because of “evolving intelligence” that Russia is considering launching cyberattacks against critical infrastructure targets as the war in Ukraine continues.

Biden’s top cybersecurity aide, Anne Neuberger, expressed frustration at a White House press briefing Monday that some critical infrastructure entities have ignored alerts from federal agencies to fix known problems in software that could be exploited by Russian hackers.

“Notwithstanding these repeated warnings, we continue to see adversaries compromising systems that use known vulnerabilities for which there are patches,” said Neuberger, who is the president’s deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies.

“That makes it far easier for attackers than it needs to be.”

The federal government has been providing warnings to U.S. companies of the threats posed by Russian state hackers since long before the country invaded Ukraine last month.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has launched a “Shields Up” campaign aimed at helping companies strengthen their defences and has urged companies to back up their data, turn on multifactor authentication and take other steps to improve cyber hygiene.

Neuberger said there’s no intelligence suggesting a specific Russian cyberattack against U.S. targets, but she did add that there has been increase in “preparatory activity,” like scanning websites and hunting for vulnerabilities, that is common among nation-state hackers.

In a statement, Biden said Russia could launch an cyberattack against U.S. targets as retaliation for “the unprecedented economic costs we’ve imposed” on Russia through sanctions.

“It’s part of Russia’s playbook,” Biden said.

The United States and its allies have put a slew of sanctions in place aimed at crippling the Russian economy, and Biden recently announced the U.S. is sending more anti-aircraft, anti-armor weapons and drones to help Ukraine.

John Hultquist, a vice president of intelligence analysis at the cybersecurity firm Mandiant, said cyberattacks gives Russia the ability to punch back.

“Cyberattacks are a means for them to exact costs without crossing a major red line,” he said.

Russia is considered a hacking powerhouse but its offensive cyberattacks since it invaded Ukraine have been muted compared to what some feared.

Russia has carried out significant cyberattacks against Ukraine in years past, including the devastating NotPetya attack in 2017 that spread far and wide and caused more than $10 billion in damage globally.

Neuberger said Russia cyberattacks against Ukraine are ongoing, though did not provide specifics.

She said the Biden administration has made clear there will be consequences if Russia engages with the U.S. in cyberspace.

“We’re not looking for a conflict with Russia. If Russia initiates a cyberattack against the United States, we will respond,” she said.

The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says he is encouraging Switzerland to take bolder steps in cutting off Russian oligarchs who support Russian leaders from the billions of US dollars they have in Swiss banks or in business there.

Morawiecki spoke Monday at a joint news conference with visiting Swiss President Ignazio Cassis.

They held talks about the situation in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russian troops February 24.

Morawiecki noted that Russia’s richest businessmen have deposited billions of US dollars in Swiss banks, were doing business there and had other assets.

He said the assets could be used to help Ukraine rebuild from the war’s destruction.

Cassis noted that Switzerland has joined the European Union’s sanctions on Russia and has also has frozen the bank accounts and business of Russian oligarchs who are on the EU sanctions lists and also of some others.

Poland’s government is working on amendments to the constitution that would allow for the seizure of Russia’s assets in Poland.

Russia’s central bank has cautiously reopened bond trading on the Moscow exchange for the first time since the country invaded Ukraine.

The price of Russia’s ruble-denominated government debt fell on Monday, sending borrowing costs higher.

Stock trading has remained closed, with no word on when it might reopen.

The central bank bought bonds to support prices.

It has imposed wide-ranging restrictions on financial transactions to try to stabilise markets and combat the severe fallout from Western sanctions that have sent the ruble sharply lower against the US dollar and the euro.

Ratings agencies have downgraded Russia’s bonds to “junk” status.

The country’s finance ministry last week flirted with default by threatening to pay foreign holders of dollar bonds in massively devalued rubles before sending the money in dollars.

Stocks last traded on February 2

The UK government on Monday accused Russia of deploying distraction tactics and outright lies as part of a disinformation campaign around the Ukraine conflict, including making hoax calls to British ministers.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had referenced receiving such fake calls over social media last week.

Downing Street has confirmed that they were targeted alongside Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to hide the scale of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“The Russian state was responsible for the hoax telephone calls made to UK ministers last week,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson at 10 Downing Street told reporters.

“This is standard practice for Russian information operations. Disinformation is a tactic straight from the Kremlin playbook to try to distract from their illegal activities in Ukraine and the human rights abuses being committed there.”

“We are seeing a string of distraction stories and outright lies from the Kremlin, reflecting Putin’s desperation as he seeks to hide the scale of the conflict and Russia’s failings on the battlefield,” the spokesperson said.

Downing Street has said that the calls should never have happened and a cross-department inquiry has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the calls.

Last week, Wallace took to Twitter to reveal that an attempt was made by “an imposter” claiming to be Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to speak with him.

“He posed several misleading questions and after becoming suspicious, I terminated the call. No amount of Russian disinformation, distortion and dirty tricks can distract from Russia’s human rights abuses and illegal invasion of Ukraine. A desperate attempt,” he tweeted on Thursday.

In response, Patel said on Twitter: “This also happened to me earlier this week. Pathetic attempt at such difficult times to divide us. We stand with Ukraine.”

The UK government has stressed that it remains vigilant against such actions attributed to the Kremlin.

New Delhi (PTI): The legendary Devendra Jhajharia on Monday became the first para athlete to receive the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third highest civilian award.

The 40-year-old Jhajharia received the prestigious award from President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Jhajharia is a multiple-time Paralympics medal winner, having won his maiden gold during the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, his second gold medal during the Rio Games in 2016, and a silver medal during the 2020 Tokyo edition last year.

The javelin thrower competes in the F46 events in the Paralympics and was among the four Paralympic medallists to be conferred with the Padma awards this year.

Tokyo Paralympics double medallist shooter Avani Lekhara received the Padma Shri for her excellent showing last year. Lekhara won a gold medal in the 10m air rifle standing event and a bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.

Alongside Jhajharia and Lekhara, gold medal-winning javelin thrower Sumit Anil, gold medallist in badminton Pramod Bhagat were the other Paralympic stars to be conferred with the honour.

That he has achieved a first was not lost on Jhajharia.

“This is the first time a para athlete has got the Padma Bhushan, and I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this. Now I will have more responsibility towards the country, to win more medals for India,” Jhajharia said.

“To the youth, I will say work hard. One minute of work will not get you anything. I have worked hard for the past 20 years, 2002 was the first time I won a gold medal,” he added.

Lekhara tweeted, “Honoured and grateful to be awarded the Padma Shri. This award is a testament to not only my efforts, but the sacrifices of my family and the support of everyone involved in my career helping me achieve all I have.

“I look forward to representing the country with the same passion!” 

Mangaluru: The CPI (M) Politburo member, Brinda Karat on Monday said that the recently hyped-up film, The Kashmir Files does not give a realistic portrayal of Kashmir. 

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, she said that “Along with Kashmiri Pandits, people belonging to several other communities have also struggled during the exodus.”

“Hand in hand with the Kashmiri Pandits were the majority of Muslims, who rebelled against the terrorists, which The Kashmir Files fails to display. Also, the film’s depiction of the hardships underwent by only one religion would not do any good to Kashmir and its people today,” she added. 

Further, she added that, “The consequences of terrorist infiltration in Kashmir have been suffered by the collective lives of people in Kashmir. The portrayal of this history as being affected to only one religion or community is not healthy to the development of our country.”

Beijing: Hopes to find the survivors among the 132 people travelling by the crashed Chinese aircraft in the thick forests in the southern Guangxi province on Monday receded as the night fell making efforts by scores of rescuers difficult.

The Boeing 737 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines, which flew from Kunming to Guangzhou, crashed in Tengxian County near the city of Wuzhou, causing a mountain fire in the worst air disaster in the country in over a decade.

State television showed teams of rescuers armed with search lights scurrying through the sprawling area in the forests on the remote mountainous area Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region as darkness enveloped the forest region.

The 132 people included 123 passengers and nine crew members, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on its website.

While the airline has announced that no foreigners were on board, families of some crew members from the crashed Eastern Airlines flight have arrived in the company’s branch office in Yunnan Province and they were being assisted to work on follow-up issues , state-run CGTN-TV reported.

A “shocked” Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered “swift action to identify the cause of the crash and to strengthen the safety overhaul of the civil aviation sector to ensure the absolute safety of the sector and people’s lives, Xinhua reported.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has promptly mobilized rescue forces in the city of Wuzhou to the crash site of the China Eastern Airlines flight, the Southern Theater Command said on Monday.

According to the official media, the plane sharply descended onto the mountainous area and crashed.

Footage shot by locals in their phones showed the area of the crash was engulfed by massive mountainous fire with explosions heard in the background.

There is no official word here yet on the number of casualties or survivors except speculation about the unlikelihood of survivors.

The crash shattered China’s airlines record of over 100 million continuous hours of safe flight as of February 19.

The last domestic fatal air accident was in 2010, when an Embraer passenger plane crashed in Yichun, Heilongjiang province, killing 42 people.

As soon as the plane crashed in the forest area, Chinese officials rushed hundreds of fire brigades as well as rescue teams to find the survivors before the night fell.

The fire has been put out and the rescue operation is underway, said Chen Jie, an official with the regional emergency management department.

In his instructions issued soon after the incident, President Xi said he was shocked to learn about the incident involving China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou.

He ordered the immediate launch of emergency response, all-out search and rescue efforts and proper settlement of the aftermath, Xinhua reported.

He said swift action should be taken to identify the cause of the crash and to strengthen the safety overhaul of the civil aviation sector to ensure the absolute safety of the sector and people’s lives.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged efforts to console the families of the victims and provide them with assistance, release accurate information in a timely manner, conduct a serious probe into the incident, and take strong measures to strengthen the safety of civil aviation.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) said via Twitter that it was ready to assist in investigation efforts if asked. Boeing China said it was aware of the media reports of the plane crash and is working to gather more information.

Meanwhile, China Eastern Airlines – one of China’s three major air carriers – has grounded its all Boeing 737-800 after the crash on Monday, company officials said.

The airline also made its website have a black-and-white homepage after the crash as it prepared to announce the casualties.

According to news portal The Paper, a staff member at Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport said that flight MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou has not arrived at its destined time, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

The domestic flight was scheduled to take off from Kunming at 1.10 pm (local time) and arrive at Guangzhou at 2.52 pm (local time) and is now marked out of reach on Baiyun airport’s app.

Basavaraj Bommai

Bengaluru: Terming the resolution adopted by the Tamil Nadu Assembly condemning the decision of Karnataka to proceed with the Mekedatu project across Cauvery as illegal, Chief Minister of the State Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said his government was committed to implement the project.

In a series of tweets, he called the decision of Tamil Nadu to oppose the project as political and accused that State of not having faith in the federal system.

“The resolution adopted today in the Tamil Nadu Assembly against the Mekedatu project is illegal. This is an anti-people resolution wherein a State is trying to infringe upon the rights of another. This resolution shows that Tamil Nadu doesn’t believe in a federal system,” Bommai tweeted.

Stating that the people and the government of Karnataka condemn the resolution, he said, “We are firm on our decision to implement the Mekedatu project across river Cauvery that takes birth in our State.”

“Karnataka has the right over the remaining water after giving Tamil Nadu 177.25 tmc as per the Cauvery tribunal order. The government is taking necessary steps to take up the Mekedatu project irrespective of the political decision of Tamil Nadu,” he said.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly today adopted a unanimous resolution condemning the Karnataka government for its unilateral decision to proceed with the Mekedatu project and prevail upon the Centre to reject the proposal.

Karnataka’s DPR of the project is before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), also the matter is before the Environment Ministry for clearance.

The State budget, presented by Bommai recently, provided a grant of Rs 1,000 crore in this year for implementation of the project.

The Mekedatu multi-purpose (drinking and power) project involves building a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district.

The estimated Rs 9,000-crore project once completed is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas (4.75 TMC) and it can also generate 400 MW of power.

Karnataka has maintained that the project within its territory would benefit both States as the surplus water stored can be managed between the two during times of distress, and its implementation would in no way affect the interests of the farming communities in Tamil Nadu, as there would be no impact on its share of water.

But, the neighbouring State is of the view that the project would impound and divert the uncontrolled water flow due to Tamil Nadu from Kabini sub-basin, the catchment area below Krishnarajasagara, and also from Simsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathi sub-basins besides other small streams.

New Delhi: How long will you keep him , the Supreme Court Monday asked the Centre after it sought two weeks to take a call on the status of a Pakistani national who has been languishing in a detention centre here for seven years as Islamabad refuses to accept him as its citizen.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant granted two weeks to Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj to seek instruction whether 62-year-old Mohammad Qamar can be released to enable him to apply for Indian citizenship as his five-children are Indian citizens.

At the outset, senior advocate Sanjay Parikh appearing for Qamar said the government is saying that the order of top court for release of foreigners lodged in detention centres is with respect to Bangladeshi nationals and not those from Pakistan.

How can such a distinction be made? We are only seeking enforcement of this court’s order, Parikh said.

Nataraj submitted, How can a Pakistani citizen claim equal rights as an Indian citizen. He has no right to do so .

The bench said, The question is how long you can keep him. You seek instruction as to what could be done. We are giving you two weeks’ time .

On Feb 28, the top court had asked the Centre to take a call on his release for a brief period to enable him to apply for Indian citizenship.

It had said that Qamar has served his sentence of three years and six months and after that he has been lodged in a detention centre since 2015, awaiting his deportation.

At the time when Pakistan has refused to accept him as its citizen, how long can you keep a person inside? the top court had asked the Centre.

Qamar was arrested on August 8, 2011 from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, and was held guilty by a court here for overstaying his visa. He was sentenced to three years and six months in jail and a fine of Rs 500.

Having completed his sentence on February 6, 2015, Qamar, father of five, was sent to the detention centre at Lampur in Narela here on February 7, 2015 for deportation to Pakistan. However, the Pakistani government did not accept his deportation and he is still languishing at the detention centre.

According to his daughter and son, who have moved the top court through advocate Srishti Agnihotri, their father Qamar alias Mohammad Kamil was born in India in 1959.

He (Qamar) had gone with his mother from India to Pakistan as a child of around 7-8 years in 1967-1968 on a visa to meet his relatives there. However, his mother died there, and he remained in Pakistan in the care of his relatives , the plea of habeas corpus filed in the top court said.

It said that Qamar, on attaining adulthood, came back to India on a Pakistani passport in around 1989-1990 and got married to Shehnaaj Begum, an Indian citizen, in Meerut.

Out of this wedlock, five children were born , the plea said, adding that Qamar has no documentary proof to show that he had gone with his mother to Pakistan around 1967-68 and his mother died there and therefore, his story has not been believed.

Nevertheless, the undisputed fact is that he came to India around 1989-90 on a passport of Pakistan and did not renew his visa due to lack of education and, subsequently, got married here, it said.

In Meerut, he was doing menial jobs and residing there along with his family, who all have Aadhaar cards issued by UIDAI, the plea said.

Initially, Qamar filed a plea before the Delhi High Court in 2017, praying for his release so that he can stay with his family.

During the arguments, his counsel had submitted that Qamar would apply for Indian citizenship in accordance with law and also make a representation to the respective authorities giving particulars of all the family members who would stand security in case he is released from the detention centre.

The High Court, in its order dated March 9, 2017, disposed of his plea directing that his representation be considered as per law.

Qamar’s son, as per the order of the High Court, made a representation to civil authority on August 11, 2017, under the provisions of the Foreigners Act to allow his father to reside with his family and take proper steps for registering him as an Indian citizen and also for getting proper medical treatment for his illness.

The plea said that meanwhile, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the top court on April 13, 2020 passed an order in the suo motu petition where it directed the Centre to release foreigner detainees who have been under detention for two years or more on certain terms on furnishing a bond in the sum of Rs. 5,000 with two sureties of the like sum of Indian citizens.

Once again, Qamar’ children moved the High Court seeking relief on the grounds of orders of the top court, where the Centre submitted that it was prepared to take a humanitarian approach for releasing the father of the petitioners, but Uttar Pradesh was not willing to do the same.

It had put on record the UP government’s reply which said that Qamar is divorced and therefore, there is no justifiable ground for him to live in India and his release from the detention centre is not recommended.

Thereafter, the High Court said that the petitioners should approach the top court for relief.

Pramod Sawant

Panaji: As he prepares to start a fresh innings as the Goa Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant has turned a new page in the state’s political history after leading the BJP to a victory in the Assembly polls, a development that shows the saffron party has come out of the shadow of its tall leader late Manohar Parrikar.

On Monday evening, Sawant, who considered Parrikar as his mentor, was unanimously elected the leader of BJP legislature party in Goa, clearing the way for him to take over as the chief minister for a second term.

The BJP, in power in Goa since 2012, is starting its third straight term in office.

The BJP under Sawant overcame anti-incumbency and resignations by some key figures, including Parrikar’s son, over ticket allocation, and put up its second best performance ever – winning 20 seats in the 40-member Assembly in multi-cornered fights in the February 14 polls.

Sawant, who took over as chief minister for the first time in March 2019, brought the BJP tantalizingly close to the simple majority mark of 21, defying pre-poll predictions of a hung Assembly.

He has now been rewarded with a second term in office by the BJP leadership with support for his incoming government coming from two MLAs of the regional outfit MGP and three Independent legislators.

The BJP’s best performance till date had been 21 seats won by it in 2012 when Parrikar dominated Goa’s political scene.

The 48-year-old politician is a three-time MLA from Sankhalim in North Goa. He was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly when the BJP formed its government under the leadership of Parrikar in 2017.

He was sworn in as the chief minister for the first time in March 2019 after the death of Parrikar.

The Ayurveda medical practitioner is considered close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and was pictured participating in an RSS event during his first term as the chief minister.

Sawant was at the helm when the coastal state faced the COVID-19 pandemic along with other parts of the country.

Sawant’s electoral career began in 2008 when he was fielded from the Sankhalim (then Pale) Assembly segment by the BJP, but he lost to Congress candidate Pratap Gauns.

However, he managed to win the seat in 2012 when the BJP contested the elections under the leadership of Parrikar. That was the only time when the BJP won a majority on its own in the Assembly.

He got re-elected in 2017 from Sankhalim and went on to become the Assembly Speaker before being chosen by the BJP, at the age of 46, to succeed Parrikar as the CM.

In the 2022 polls, Sawant was elected with a margin of 666 votes against his nearest rival Dharmesh Saglani of the Congress.

His wife, Sulakshana, is also an active BJP worker and associated with the party’s women’s wing in Goa.