CM Bommai rules out constituting new textbook review panel
Chitradurga, Jun 4: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday ruled out constituting a new textbook review committee amid a row over the controversial tweets and excluding the writings of intellectuals by Karnataka Textbook Review Committee chief Rohith Chakrateertha many years ago.
Chakrateertha has been facing severe backlash from various quarters for his tweets put out in 2016 in which he had allegedly mocked the 'Naada Geethe' (state anthem) and also excluding the writings of some intellectuals from the state.
"No, there is no question of constituting a new textbook revision committee," CM Bommai told reporters at Hiriyur in the district.
To a query on including chapters on 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara, the Chief Minister said he would discuss with seers of various Lingayat maths.
"Our government treads on the principles of Basaveshwara. There are many superior Vachanas' (writings) of Basaveshwara. The Baragur Ramachandra-led textbook review committee formed by the then Congress government in 2015 and the textbook committee constituted now has a difference of just one sentence, while rest all are same," Bommai claimed.
Regarding a chapter on the RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, he said the chapter will not be removed saying, "What's wrong in that? I had told the textbook committee that if they come across any disparity, we will take it seriously."
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Moscow court slaps google with $20 decillion fine over Russian channel block on YouTube
Moscow: A Moscow court has issued an unprecedented $20 decillion fine against Google, following its block on Russian state-affiliated channels like Tsargrad TV on platforms including YouTube. The amount, a figure surpassing the global GDP, has drawn worldwide attention as it highlights ongoing tensions over content censorship.
This legal dispute began when Google blocked Tsargrad TV, a pro-government channel, four years ago, later extending restrictions to other Russian state-linked media. Russia’s invocation of Article 13.41 of its Administrative Offences Code, which prohibits unauthorised restrictions on legal content, led to the court-imposed penalty of 100,000 roubles per day, doubling every 24 hours that Google did not comply. The fine eventually ballooned to 2 undecillion roubles, equivalent to $20 decillion.
In response, Google halted operations in Russia, declaring bankruptcy amid unmanageable legal demands. Following this, Russian authorities seized $100 million in assets from the company, reportedly allocating the funds to military support.
