Cong claims Rahul's Twitter account temporarily suspended, Twitter denies; party says it is 'locked'
New Delhi, Aug 7: The Congress on Saturday claimed that Twitter has "temporarily suspended" the account of its former chief Rahul Gandhi, but later said it has been "temporarily locked" after the microblogging platform denied having suspended the account and stated that it continues to be in service.
The action by Twitter came over a controversial post of Gandhi with a picture of him meeting the family of a nine-year-old Dalit girl who died here following an alleged sexual assault. Twitter has deemed that the account violated its rules against posting private information.
According to party sources, some features of Gandhi's account have been temporarily limited, and while he could browse the social media site and send direct messages to his followers, no tweets, retweets, follows, fleets or likes were allowed.
Twitter has communicated that all the features of the account could be restored in 12 hours once the tweet violating its rules is deleted by him, the sources said.
Sources in the party claimed that Gandhi had done nothing wrong and they had the consent of the family of the girl for posting the photograph.
"Shri @RahulGandhi's Twitter account has been temporarily suspended & due process is being followed for its restoration," the Congress tweeted from its official Twitter handle.
"Until then, he will stay connected with you all through his other SM platforms & continue to raise his voice for our people & fight for their cause. Jai Hind!" the party said.
Responding to queries about the Congress' claim, Twitter said it can confirm that the account has not been suspended and continues to be in service.
When any account is suspended, Twitter removes it from global view, the microblogging platform said.
Tagging its previous tweet, the Congress later tweeted, "The account has been temporarily locked."
Posting a picture of his meeting with the girl's family on Wednesday, Gandhi had tweeted in Hindi: "Parents' tears are saying only one thing -- their daughter, the daughter of this country, deserves justice. And I am with them on this path to justice."
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had asked the Delhi Police and Twitter on Wednesday to take action over Gandhi posting the photo of the girl's family on the microblogging website, saying it violates the Juvenile Justice Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Gandhi met the girl's family members on Wednesday and asserted that he is with them on the path to justice and "will not back down even an inch".
Shri @RahulGandhi’s Twitter account has been temporarily suspended & due process is being followed for its restoration.
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 7, 2021
Until then, he will stay connected with you all through his other SM platforms & continue to raise his voice for our people & fight for their cause. Jai Hind!
The account has been temporarily locked. https://t.co/MYqpC8OeIb
— Congress (@INCIndia) August 7, 2021
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
