Heena Sharma Blog

It is open season on all short video services as well as social media apps, which, according to the government and the judiciary, are supplying inappropriate content. While those who support freedom of internet on Wednesday criticised banning of TikTok from Google and Apple stores as an infringement of right to choose, sources in the government said the steps were taken only after repeated warnings on weeding out foul content fell on deaf ears. The road ahead is going to be a tough one for TikTok and other similar apps as now the government is directly working with both Apple and Google to ensure they do not get any further downloads. “ The government at the moment may not be able to stop the already existing users from posting on the app but it has ensured that they do not get any further downloads. The decision to ban TikTok was taken only after repeated requests to take down objectionable content did not get the desired results. Videos of young children and other similar...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday slammed Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his "why are all Modis thieves" barb, adding using derogatory language has become synonymous with the " naamdar " (dynast). Addressing a rally here, Modi said it has become a fashion for the "naamdar" to speak in derogatory terms. "Is this the language to speak? We have to throw out such people. Abusive language is the norm. The Sahu community here would have been called Modi in Gujarat. Are they all thieves," Modi said. Targeting the Congress, Modi said naxal influence in the area where BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi was killed by them, had been considerably reduced. "Why did this happen now," he said, referring to the naxal attack which claimed Mandavi's life. Mandavi and four security personnel were killed last Tuesday when their convoy was attacked by naxals in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district. Modi claimed that the Congress was "ha...

Notre Dame , a survivor of wars and revolutions, has stood for centuries as not merely the greatest of the Gothic cathedrals and a towering jewel of Western architecture. It has stood, in the words of one shell-shocked art expert, as "one of the great monuments to the best of civilization." And so it was that across the globe Monday, a stunned and helpless art world wept alongside the people of France as a massive fire ravaged the beloved cathedral. "Civilization is just so fragile," said Barbara Drake Boehm, senior curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's medieval Cloisters branch in New York, her voice shaking as she tried to put into words what the cathedral meant. "This great hulking monument of stone has been there since 1163. It's come through so many trials." "It's not one relic, not one piece of glass it's the totality," she said, struggling to find words expansive enough to describe the cathedral's signi...

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced the 15-member national squad that will play in the ICC World Cup to be held from May 30 in England and Wales. India will play their opening game of the tournament against South Africa on June 5. Here is the squad chosen to represent India; Virat Kohli (captain) Virat Kohli, one of the charismatic batsmen of the modern era, is the captain of the Indian national cricket team. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls right-arm medium. Kohli represented Delhi cricket team in various age group before making his first-class debut in 2006. He also showed his captaincy skills during the U-19 World Cup of 2008 in Malaysia and eventually won the World Cup by beating South Africa in a thrilling final. He made his international debut against Sri Lanka few months after winning the U-19 World Cup. Rohit Sharma (vice-captain) Rohit Sharma is the vice-captain of the Indian national cricket team in limited-overs game. He...

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday took to Twitter to make public the negotiations for a pre-poll alliance for Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats between his party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which triggered a war of tweets between supporters of the two parties. “ An alliance between the Congress and AAP in Delhi would mean the rout of the BJP. The Congress is willing to give up four Delhi seats to the AAP to ensure this. But, Mr. (Arvind) Kejriwal has done yet another U turn! Our doors are still open, but the clock is running out,” Gandhi tweeted, with the hashtag that said the ball was in AAP’s court. Kejriwal, chief of AAP and Delhi chief minister, retorted wondering which “U turn” the Congress was referring to when negotiations were still on. “Your tweet proves that an alliance (in Delhi) is not your wish but for public consumption. I am saddened that you are indulging in such public recriminations. Today, the country needs to be saved from (Narendra) Modi and (Amit...

A World Cup squad is unlikely to please everyone but it was a far easier task for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors when they met skipper Virat Kohli in Mumbai on Monday. When you consider the form and ability of the players at their disposal, few matters remained unsettled. Most spots in the final 15 had already been claimed by a team that will arrive into the World Cup as a serious contender. There was unlikely to be a repeat of 2003 when a batsman of VVS Laxman's calibre lost out to Dinesh Mongia. This time around, the conversation around the Indian side was preoccupied with the number four position – a problem area for the team even as impressive victories have been earned home and abroad. The middle-order has let India down in a few crunch situations recently. In a major tournament, little can be left to chance. So, the BCCI selection committee sought reliability. In Dinesh Karthik, who was part of the World Cup squad in 2007, India has an ex...

Redmi Go is a Chinese company Xiaomi’s first Android Oreo Go operating system-based smartphone. Priced at Rs 4,499, the budget phone is aimed at first time smartphone users; moving from feature phone to internet-enabled device capable of offering more than calling and messaging features. Redmi Go specifications: Display: 5-inch HD, 16:9 aspect ratio Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 Storage: 8GB, expandable up to 128GB via dedicated microSD card slot RAM: 1GB Rear camera: 8MP of f/2.0 Front camera: 5MP of f/2.2 SIM: DualSIM, VoLTE, 4G Battery: 3,000 mAh Colours: Black and Blue Design From a HD resolution screen to camera on the front and back, the Redmi Go covers all the basics right. Design wise, the phone might look from a previous generation of smartphones due to its plastic built, thick bezels around screen, capacitive navigation keys with no backlit, etc. However, considering the phone’s ultra-affordable price tag, it does not look cheap. It ra...