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The government is exaggerating the narrative of fake news, says director of The Hindu Group in an interview to Stephen Sackur for BBCs HARDTalk segment.

Under the guise of regulating the social media intermediaries, the Narendra Modi government is trying to control the digital media which has been more defiant than the mainstream media, N. Ram, director, The Hindu Group, has said in an interview to Stephen Sackur for BBCs HARDTalk segment.

He was speaking on the topic Is freedom of expression under threat in the worlds biggest democracy.

Mr. Ram said that the new Information Technology (IT) rules brought out by the government were problematic. Former Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad while announcing the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 said they were soft-touch oversight mechanisms to deal with issues such as persistent spread of fake news.

Mr. Ram said that the government was exaggerating the narrative of fake news. India has not been bombarded by fake news, he said. There may be instances of disinformation but there were already laws to tackle that, he added.

Under the guise of regulating the social media intermediaries, the government is trying to control the digital media who are far more defiant than the mainstream media, Mr. Ram added. He said that the rules were vague on what constituted digital media. Most of the newspapers had digital presence where a lot of the print material was replicated, so the question was would there be two sets of rules for the same content.

He concurred with Mr. Sackurs assessment that many of the media houses appeared more than willing to toe the government line. I couldnt agree more. This is a familiar criticism, he said.

To a question by Mr. Sackur on Indian medias coverage of the COVID-19, Mr. Ram conceded that the pandemic had exposed the limits of Indian journalism. More than 500 journalists have died in the line of duty. Many of them died because they did not believe the numbers put up by the government and went to crematoriums to count the bodies themselves, Mr. Ram said. Though, he rued that Indian journalism might not have the wherewithal or the data skills required to challenge the death toll. He also appreciated The New York Times for their piece on the under-reporting of the death toll by the government. We havent done a good enough job, he said.

He was also asked questions on hounding Rana Ayyub who contributed for a few Western publications. Applauding Ms. Ayyubs courage for fearlessly expressing her opinion Mr. Ram said not everyone was like her. He added that though what was happening to Ms. Ayyub was not completely representative of the situation on ground. The governments policy has had a chilling effect. A lot of journalists have held back, self-restrained and self-censored for various reasons, he added.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who Mr. Sackur pointed out enjoyed the popular mandate, Mr. Ram said, There are many examples of elected leaders turning autocratic and authoritarian around the world. This was not the first time, Mr. Ram said, that India had had an autocratic leader pointing at the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. But the nature of this autocracy was very different, and all agencies available at the governments disposal, Mr. Ram said, were utilised to silence dissent. He particularly pointed out the example of English news channel NDTV against whom investigations were going on by the Enforcement Directorate.

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Modi govt. trying to control digital media, which is more defiant than mainstream media: N. Ram - The Hindu

This could have a significant impact on Twitter usage, and the way you build Twitter audiences moving forward.

Among its various experiments and tests, which are part of its accelerated development process after years of relative stagnation, Twitter is working on a new optionwhich would enable users to share their tweets with selected audiences, as opposed to all of their followers with every tweet. The idea is that this would help users get more out of their Twitter experience, and avoid them having to create separate accounts for different audiences and interests.

Twitter first revealed that it was working on the functionality at its Analyst Day briefingback in February, where it previewed a groups-like option called 'Communities', which would enable Twitter users to share their tweets within selected sub-groups of users, as opposed to sharing with everybody.

Now, Twitter has shared some new previews of exactly how the option could work.

One of the new processes Twitter is testing would be a variable audience control toggle within the tweet composer, which would also include a note on relevant tweets, signifying who can see them.

As you can see here, tweets shared with a specific audience, like 'Trusted Friends', would have a special marker, while users would also be able to have their timeline display tweets from their chosen lists first.

This specific option is very similar to Instagram's 'Close Friends' option for Stories (even down to the color selection),which enables users to maintain more enclosed conversations with selected users, as opposed to sharing everything with all of their followers.

Which could be a big bonus. There's been no shortage of controversies caused by re-surfaced tweets from times past, but then again, many of these discussions, you would think, are now being conducted in private DMs, so the practical value, for this specific application, may not be significant.

Another option could be something Twitter's calling 'Facets', which would enable users to create different personas under a single profile.

That would mean that users would be able to post in different topic areas, without having to share all of their thoughts on all of their interests on one, while as you can see in the second screenshot,followers would also have the option to follow different elements of your profile, based on their interests (or they could follow all of your tweets as normal).

So if you want to tweet about, say, 'digital marketing' and 'NFL', you could create two separate elements of your profile to share tweets about each topic with - so rather than boring your NFL fan connections with your work tweets, or creating a separate fan account in addition to your main profile, you could maintain all of your discussions and engagement in one, and keep them isolated from each other.

Which would make it easier - but would it help Twitter to boost or improve engagement?

I mean, surely Twitter gleans some usage reporting benefit from users having multiple active accounts. If everyone with a secondary profile (note: this is a lot of people) only needed one, wouldn't that reduce Twitter's overall user count?

And given that Twitter's looking to increase its active user number by 123 million more userswithin the next three years, that seems like it may not be the best way forward, at least from this perspective.

In a practical sense, for users, there is some logic to enabling people to conduct more, different types of discussion in the app, and leaning into common usage behaviors - but I'm not entirely convinced that this will be hugely beneficial. Instead, it could just end up fragmenting the Twitter experience, and making it more complex, something that Twitter has been working hard to avoid for years.

But if Twitter does push ahead with it, it could change the way you use your Twitter profile, and how you build specific, targeted audiences in the app. A brand, for example, could create a separate 'Help' feed, a 'Customer Service' handle within their main profile, and another stream for 'Sales and Specials' to limit ad intrusion in regular user feeds.

There's a range of options to consider, and while it would take some time and testing to see how this actually works, and how users align with it, it could spark a significant shift in user behavior.

Or, it might prove too problematic. We'll have to wait and see where Twitter goes with it.

Twitter has specifically noted that it's not building these mock-ups as yet.

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Twitter is Testing New Audience Controls on Tweets, Making it Easier to Engage Around Various Topics - Social Media Today

The Man Who Hated Women by Amy Sohn // Macmillan

In 1873, Congress passed a law outlawing the distribution, sale, mailing and possession of "obscene" materials including contraception.

The Comstock Act, as it became known, was named after Anthony Comstock, an anti-vice crusader who later became a special agent to the U.S. Post Office, giving him the power to enforce the law. In her new book, The Man Who Hated Women, author Amy Sohn writes about Comstock as well as eight women charged with violating the Comstock Act.

While working for the post office, Sohn says, Comstock "decoyed people" by using the mail to solicit obscenity and contraception.

"[Comstock] was given that [post office] title so that he could have the power to inspect the mail and over time it was expanded to be able to come into people's houses and seize items," she says. "It was a very broad, broad definition of what someone affiliated with the post office could do with regards to individual civil liberties."

Over time, the scope of the Comstock law expanded: "Its heart was in the mail, but ... it became much broader than that," Sohn says. "Even oral information, which reasonable people believed was constitutionally protected, turned out that it wasn't."

In 1916, feminist activist Emma Goldman was arrested in New York City just before giving a lecture on family planning. One year earlier, birth control advocate Margaret Sanger had been charged with violating the law. Goldman and Sanger are just two of the eight women profiled in Sohn's book. Others include nurses and health practitioners, spiritualists and women in the so-called free love movement.

The Comstock Act lasted until 1965 when the Supreme Court ruled it violated the right to marital privacy. "It was in Griswold v. Connecticut that married women could finally have the right to receive contraception from their doctors," Sohn says.

As for single women? They didn't get the same rights until the 1972 Eisenstadt v. Baird ruling 99 years after the passage of the Comstock Act.

On the forms of birth control that were available in the 1870s

They had sponges. A very common form of birth control that many women used was vaginal douching, which were these syringes. And you could use them for health and hygienic purposes, but they would also put various substances in them, acidic substances that were said to have spermicidal qualities. Also [the rhythm method] although they did not understand the rhythm method, and so the times that they were abstaining were actually the worst possible times to abstain. And withdrawal, which was sometimes successful and sometimes not successful.

On how Comstock became obsessed what he considered "smut"

Well, he was born in a small, rural area called New Canaan, Conn. And it was the kind of town where you knew everybody and you knew everybody's business. And his parents were very religious; he was raised Congregationalist. And after the Civil War ... he moved to New York ... [and he] lived in a house with other young men called a boardinghouse. And New York at the time was dominated by what was called "sporting culture," where all of entertainment was tailored toward these young single men ... most of whom were living apart from their families for the first time. So there were billiards and boxing and pretty waiter girl saloons. And he was exposed to all of this and [was] just absolutely disgusted. He had trouble finding men of similar religious thinking. And so that was when he decided to do something about it.

But the real precipitant to his becoming an anti-smut, anti-vice activist was he had a co-worker at his dry goods store who told him that he had visited a prostitute and become diseased and corrupted. [Comstock] became convinced that the reason this guy had gone to a prostitute was because he read dirty books. So he went to the store where the books were sold and called the police. And that was the beginning of his career as a vice hunter.

On the Comstock Act and the penalties for sending contraception or information about it through the mail

They could be up to $5,000, which would be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars today and either five or 10 years of hard labor. ... So these fines, when they were able to get convictions, and these sentences, absolutely ruined people's lives and didn't just cut off their ability to make a living, but frequently sent them into poverty and completely out of the business [and sometimes to prison]. ...

One of the fascinating things about Comstock and the women that he went after I focus on eight women he pursued is many of them were middle-aged and older, some as old as their late 60s. And so given what life spans were at that time, to be a 67-year-old woman facing a 10-year prison sentence, you were almost certain you were going to die in prison. And that is why some of the women he went after and was able to prosecute took their own lives.

On what the "free love" movement was like back in the late 1800s

The free love movement was this idea that there should be equality in romantic relationships. A lot of people hear free love, and they think of like, Woodstock and the summer of love. It was not about having sex with as many partners as you could. Most free lovers were monogamous. The heart of it was better equality, better division of domestic tasks, and the idea of abolishing marriage laws that two people should be able to enter into their own romantic contracts, which should not be legal. Most free lovers were opposed to abortion, except in extreme cases. ...

But what's interesting about the free lovers is they were civil libertarians, and many of them were also extremely leftist in their ideas about economics. So, for example, they felt that too many men and women were marrying for economic reasons. Women needed money, and then they would marry men that they didn't love. They wanted all relationships to be based on love and mutual respect. The most radical thing that they believed is that if a man and a woman really loved each other, they would give birth to superior children.

On how the Comstock story relates to our current reproductive issues, including challenges to Roe v. Wade

Certainly now that we see these [reproductive] rights already being chipped away and I'm lucky to live in a state like New York, which is trying to protect abortion access no matter what happens with Roe. But, yes, I think the biggest thing, though, is that I have a teenage daughter, and so I think about the generations into the future and what is a post-Roe landscape going to look like? And from what I understand, we're going to have, even more so than we already do today, a real two-tiered system where your access to abortion is going to rely heavily on where you happen to live. And the reason that saddens me is Roe was decided precisely to stop that from happening. And the other reason it fills me with dread is that was essentially what Anthony Comstock created, a two-tiered system, which was that even after the passage of the Comstock law, you could get what was called a "medical exemption" or a "therapeutic exemption" if you were wealthy and you could find your way to having abortions. But women who didn't have that kind of access couldn't.

Sam Briger and Kayla Lattimore produced and edited the audio of this interview. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Meghan Sullivan adapted it for the web.

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How An Anti-Vice Crusader Sabotaged The Early Birth Control Movement | NPR - Houston Public Media

The month-long Euro Cup final ends Sunday, or wee hours of Monday Nepal time. Copa America final sees footballing giants Brazil and Argentina early Sunday morning Nepal time.

These have been opportunities for betting for Nepali gamblers although it is considered illegal by the Nepali law.

On Wednesday, Lalitpur Metropolitan Police Range busted a football betting network, run by five men.

According to Senior Superintendent Kiran Bajracharya, chief of Lalitpur Metropolitan Police Range, they used to run betting from social media platforms like Whatsapp and Facebook.

They used to collect cash from digital platforms like e-sewa and Khalti or the amount was directly deposited to a bank account, Bajracharya told the Post.

With tournaments like the Euro Cup and Copa America going on, police have increased vigilance in restaurants and clubs where most of such events take place, Bajracharya said.

On Monday, Metropolitan Crime Division had arrested eight individuals, including three Indian nationals, from different parts of Kathmandu for organising illegal online betting over the ongoing Euro Cup 2020.

Police also seized over Rs3.4 million from them.

We acted on a tip-off about ongoing illegal betting in Nepal and India and raided various places and arrested the persons, said Senior Superintendent Chandra Kuber Thakur, chief of Metropolitan Crime Division.

Section 125 of the National Penal (Code) Act, 2017 prohibits gambling and betting in Nepal.

Every year, Nepal Police busts several betting rackets, however, they are only able to arrest agents as the main people involved in operating such illegal rackets are mostly abroad.

SSP Thakur and Bajracharya also agree with the point.

According to them, since betting is now running online, it has become difficult to track people involved in betting.

Most of the arrests are made after police are tipped-off mostly by those people who themselves have lost the money in betting, said Thakur.

Thakur is aware that betting through websites have also thrived in Nepal. However, police are helpless as such activities are difficult to monitor.

I have heard about betting through websites, but as such websites are not operated from Nepal. So, there is nothing we can do, said SSP Thakur.

Many Nepalis, especially youngsters, are using websites like 1XBet and Stake for sports betting.

According to R, who wished to be identified by only his initial letter, betting on websites is easy, so many of his friends including him have been betting in games for fun.

You can bet even Rs 20 in the game, said R.

According to him, they have to first create a profile in such websites after which they top up to Nepali agent number through Khalti which later sends the amount to profiles in betting websites.

The reward depends upon the risk you take, if you guess the winner you get less profit but if you guess goals by player or goal difference, you could get double or even triple the amount you bet, said R. If you win the bet, then you can transfer the money to an agent account who will later send the amount to your account.

According to Senior Superintendent Ashok Singh, chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range, they have found many instances where people were cheated by bet organisers as many people involved in such illegal betting business are out of the country.

SSP Singh has urged the general public to file a complaint in Nepal Police as soon as they hear about the ongoing illegal betting.

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Authorities struggle to control illegal sports betting - The Kathmandu Post

The 2021 ESPYS Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3hmSXAh

This Saturday, some of the worlds best athletes and biggest stars will join host Anthony Mackie for The 2021 ESPYS presented by Capital One. The star-studded evening celebrates the best moments from the year in sports and will air live on ABC July 10 from 8 p.m. ET 11 p.m. ET from The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport in New York City. Spencer Ludwig will be the musical director for the ESPYS, providing live music throughout the show. Former NFL star and emerging actor Vernon Davis serves as the voice of the ESPYS, introducing presenters and keeping the fun going throughout the night. Peloton superstar instructor Ally Love will be the behind-the-scenes host, bringing viewers a unique look at the ESPYS, with celebrity and athlete interviews, reactions from winners as they come off stage, and amazing content throughout the show.

This years scheduled presenters include: Kane Brown (Multi-Platinum Artist), DaBaby (Multi-Platinum Recording Artist), Charli DAmelio (Social Media Star), Dixie DAmelio (Social Media Star), Alexandra Daddario (The White Lotus and Die in a Gunfight), Taye Diggs (Actor), Desus Nice and The Kid Mero (Desus & Mero), Nina Dobrev (Actress, Writer, Producer), Dude Perfect (YouTube Stars), Rob Gronkowski (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Chloe Kim (Olympic Gold Medalist), Zachary Levi (American Underdog), Tracy Morgan (Actor/Comedian), Joe Namath (New York Jets Legend), Julius Randle (New York Knicks), Robin Roberts (ABCs Good Morning America), Mikaela Shiffrin (Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist), Iliza Shlesinger (Actress/Comedian), Kurt Warner (American Underdog), Roy Williams (Retired UNC Basketball Coach) and more.

In addition, top athletes and celebrities scheduled to attend include: Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma Softball), Sasha Banks (WWE Superstar), Bianca Belair (WWE Superstar), Paige Bueckers (UConn Womens Basketball), Jared Butler (Baylor Mens Basketball), Tyler Campbell (UCLA Mens Basketball), Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Sarah Fuller (Vanderbilt Football/University of North Texas Soccer), Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans), Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers), DeAndre Hopkins (Arizona Cardinals), Matt James (The Bachelor Season 25), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA Mens Basketball), Ronald Jones II (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Giselle Juarez (Oklahoma Softball), Johnny Juzang (UCLA Mens Basketball), Rachael Kirkconnell (The Bachelor Season 25), Betnijah Laney (New York Liberty), LeSean McCoy (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Maya Moore (WNBA Star/Activist), Chris Nikic (Endurance Athlete), Amanda Nunes (UFC fighter), Naomi Osaka (Tennis player), Jason Pierre-Paul (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), DiDi Richards (New York Liberty), Shannon Saile (Oklahoma Softball), DeVonta Smith (Alabama Football/Philadelphia Eagles Rookie), Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga Mens Basketball), Nigel Sylvester (BMX), Drew Timme (Gonzaga Mens Basketball), Tara VanDerveer (Stanford Womens Basketball Coach), Chase Young (The Washington Football Team) and more.

Previously announced honorees scheduled to attend include: Chris Nikic (Jimmy V Award for Perseverance Recipient) and Maya Moore (Arthur Ashe Award for Courage Recipient).

A new element of The 2021 ESPYS, fans now have total control of the ESPYS (virtual) Control Room! This interactive and immersive experience puts fans behind the desk inside the Control Room, then lets them explore a 180 virtual world with games, exclusive content and more. Plus, fans can enter to win a grand prize trip to the 2022 ESPYSalong with other prizes like an ESPYS gift bag and subscriptions to ESPN+ and Disney+. Gain entries for each visit, and bonus entries for interacting on the site. http://www.espn.com/espys/controlroom

About The 2021 ESPYS

The 2021 ESPYS Presented by Capital One will be hosted by acclaimed actor and producer Anthony Mackie. Mackie will be joined by top celebrities from sports and entertainment to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements, reliving unforgettable moments, and saluting the leading performers and performances. The ESPYS will be broadcast live on ABC Saturday, July 10, at 8 p.m. ET from The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport in New York City. The ESPYS honor ESPNs commitment to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a partnership launched with the late Jim Valvano at the inaugural ESPYS in 1993. Follow The 2021 ESPYS on Twitter @ESPYS.

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Presenters and Attendees Announced for The 2021 ESPYS Hosted by Anthony Mackie this Saturday on ABC - ESPN Press Room