Even as world leaders continue to deny the damage caused by climate change, 15-year-old Swedish climate change activist, Greta Thunberg, has been causing quite a storm with her powerful messages to world leaders. 

She also had a message for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

In a video by Brut India, Thunberg said, “Dear Mr Modi, you need to take action now against the climate crisis, not just talking about it because if you keep going on like this, doing business as usual, and just talking about and bragging about the little victories, you are going to fail. And if you fail, you are going to be seen as one of the worst villains in human history in the future. And you don’t want that.”

Thunberg made waves at the United Nations climate change summit, COP24, where she said, “We have not come here to beg the world leaders to care for our future. They have ignored us in the past and they will ignore us again. We have come here to let them know that change is coming whether they like it or not.”

She has also criticised her own country, Sweden for its emissions. At the COP24 summit, she said world leaders behaved like children. 

“Since our leaders are behaving like children, we will have to take the responsibility they should have taken long ago. We have to understand what the older generation has dealt to us, what mess they have created that we have to clean up and live with. We have to make our voices heard,” she had said.

A statue replicating the iconic World War II photo of a sailor kissing a nurse was found spray painted with the Me Too movement’s hashtag in Sarasota, Florida, on Monday, authorities said.

Sarasota police discovered the red-paint vandalism, which left ”#MeToo” scrawled along the nurse’s leg, early Tuesday morning. Authorities believe it was marked one day after the Navy war veteran who was famously snapped stealing the kiss in 1945 died at the age of 95.

The statue, called Unconditional Surrender, had only known two prior vandalism instances, but nothing resembling this same message, police spokeswoman Genevieve Judge told HuffPost. One April Fools Day instance saw someone put what looked like gum beneath the nurse’s shoe, she said.

By late Tuesday morning, cleaning crews had successfully removed the graffiti, the city said.

No arrests have been made and police said there was no surveillance video in the area that would have captured the incident, which is believed to have occurred between the mid-afternoon and evening hours of Monday.

The 25-foot statue located along the city’s bay depicts sailor George Mendonsa embracing Greta Zimmer Friedman, a dental assistant in a nurse’s uniform, following news of Japan’s surrender in World War II.

Some have argued that the spontaneous and forceful act was sexual assault. Others have viewed it as romantic and capturing a jubilant moment in American history.

The statue, one of several located in cities around the world, was donated to Sarasota by WWII veteran Jack Curran under a 10-year lease agreement that would expire in June of 2020, according to city records.

Curran, who died in 2015, hoped that the city would keep the statue along the bayfront after the lease agreement’s end as a tribute to Sarasota County’s veterans, he told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 2010

“It’s sentiment,” Curran, who also served in the Navy, told the paper. “It’s something my wife would have liked.”

A longtime friend of Curran told the paper that Curran’s late wife, Margaret L. Curran, loved the famous kiss photograph, formally known as “V-J Day in Times Square,” and more commonly known as “The Kiss.” This inspired him to purchase the statue after her death for $500,000.

Friedman, who died in 2016 at the age of 92, has described the spontaneous kiss from a stranger as nothing “romantic.”

“It wasn’t my choice to be kissed. The guy just came over and kissed or grabbed,” she recalled in 2005. “It was just an event of ‘thank god the war is over.’”

Her son, responding to concerns following her death about the act having been sexual assault, had said that his mother understood that argument but that she did not view it that way, The New York Times reported.

Jameela Jamil has labelled Karl Lagerfeld a “ruthless, fat-phobic misogynist” following the fashion designer’s death on Tuesday.

The biggest names in fashion and entertainment paid tribute to Chanel’s creative director following his death at the age of 85.

Cara Delevingne, Kylie Minogue, Naomi Campbell, Rihanna and Donatella Versace were just a few of the stars who shared memories of Lagerfeld on social media.

However, The Good Place actress criticised those painting the fashionista as a “saint”, who was as well known for his acerbic one-liners as he was for his high-end designs.

She tweeted: “A ruthless, fat-phobic misogynist shouldn’t be posted all over the internet as a saint gone-too-soon. Talented for sure, but not the best person.”

Many of the world’s biggest names were on the receiving end of one of Lagerfeld’s putdowns, including Adele who he once described as “a little too fat”.

He also admitted he didn’t like Pippa Middleton’s face, insisting she “should only show her back”, and said he “wouldn’t want” singer Seal’s skin.

Jameela’s comments came just hours after animal rights campaign group PETA UK came under fire for posting an “incredibly disrespectful” tweet about Lagerfeld’s death, just hours after it was announced.

Posting a message on its official UK Twitter account, PETA said: “Karl Lagerfeld has gone, and his passing marks the end of an era when fur and exotic skins were seen as covetable. PETA sends condolences to our old nemesis’s loved ones.”

A spokesperson for PETA confirmed that the comment was from the group’s founder, animal rights activist Ingrid Newkirk.

Many commenters responded, saying they thought PETA was disrespectful in the timing of its “condolences” and that such statements actively put people off wanting to be vegetarian or support animal rights.

PETA had previously criticised Lagerfeld for using fur in his fashion lines at Fendi and Chanel, pushing the designer to defend his position in interviews.

NEW DELHI — Terrorism and extremism are “common concerns” and Saudi Arabia will extend all cooperation to India and other neighbouring countries to deal with them, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said on Wednesday after holding “extensive and successful” talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The talks took place a day after the influential Arab leader concluded a high profile visit to Islamabad, and in the backdrop of India’s escalating tension with Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed by a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber.

In his media statement, Modi called the attack a “cruel symbol” of the scourge of terrorism and sought punishment for the terrorists and their backers. The crown prince did not mention the strike.

“Last week’s barbaric Pulwama attack was a symbol of the shadow of the inhuman danger hovering over the world. To deal with the scourge, we have agreed that there was a need to ramp up pressure on countries extending any sort of support to terrorism,” Modi said, without naming Pakistan.

He said dismantling terror infrastructure, eliminating support to terrorism and punishing terrorists and their supporters are very necessary. 

The two sides inked five pacts to expand cooperation in a range of areas, including trade and investment.

The crown prince, in his media statement, described terrorism and extremism as common concerns and said his country will extend support to India and other neighbouring countries to deal with the challenge.

“As far as terrorism and extremism are concerned — which are common concerns — I want to tell India that we will extend all cooperation to you — be it intelligence sharing...not only with India but also with the neighbouring countries,” he said.

“We will work together so that we can ensure a bright future for the generations to come,” he added.

In his address, Modi also called for a strong action plan for combating extremism and so the powers spreading violence and terror cannot mislead the youth.

Modi termed the talks “extensive and successful”.

The crown prince arrived in India on a less than 30-hour visit Tuesday night, a day after concluding his high-profile tour of Pakistan where he said dialogue was the only way to resolve “outstanding issues” between India and Pakistan.

In a special gesture, Modi received Salman at the airport, signifying the importance India attaches to the visit by the leader of the Gulf nation.

In a joint statement, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Monday called for avoiding “politicisation” of the UN listing regime, at a time India is stepping up efforts to brand the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group’s chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist.

The joint statement said the Saudi crown prince stressed that dialogue is the only way to ensure peace and stability in the region to resolve “outstanding issues” between India and Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said in Islamabad that Riyadh will try to “de-escalate” tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama attack.

After he was given a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday, the crown prince talked about historical linkages between the two countries and stressed on expanding the ties further.

“The relationship between India and Saudi Arabia is in our DNA... Today, we want to be ensured that the relationship is maintained and improved for sake of both the countries and with the leadership of Mr President and the Prime Minister, we can create good things for both the countries,” he told reporters.

He also talked about the contribution of lakhs of Indians in the overall development of Saudi Arabia.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the crown prince will leave New Delhi around 11.50 pm on Wednesday.

Pakistani national lodged in the central jail in Jaipur was allegedly murdered following a quarrel with other prisoners, officials told PTI on Wednesday.

“A Pakistani prisoner has allegedly been murdered in the central jail,” IG (Jail Rupinder Singh said.

Senior administrative and police officials have rushed to the jail after learning about the incident.

Singh said the inmate had been the jail since 2011 and had died after a brawl with other inmates. 

According to The Hindu, the murdered inmate had received injuries on his head from a blunt object.

Identified as Shakoorullah, the inmate was serving a life sentence in terror-related case for which he was convicted in 2017, the report said.

The incident comes days after 40 CRPF personnel were killed in an attack on their convoy in Pulwama. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, for which Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility.

NEW DELHI — Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday denied reports of any assault on Kashmiri students following the Pulwama terror attack and said there is no threat to students from the Valley.

Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on 14 February when a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus.

Javadekar told reporters, “There is no threat to Kashmiri students as it is being made out to be. Countrymen are angry because of the Pulwama attack but no Kashmiri student has been assaulted following that.”

While several Kashmiri students from different cities have been slapped with sedition charges for allegedly supporting the Pulwama terror attack, two colleges in Dehradun have decided not to admit those from the Valley, with students saying they were in a state of fear after the incident.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration Monday asked students outside the state to not pay heed to any rumours and try to stay put at their respective places.

The Home Ministry on Saturday issued an advisory to all states and Union Territories to take measures to ensure the safety and security of Kashmiris.

The advisory had come hours after Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured an all-party meeting of doing the needful for the protection of the Kashmiri students and people who were allegedly threatened after the terrorist attack.

For Ernest Hemingway, it was oysters. For Nora Ephron, it was mashed potatoes. For countless recently dumped film and television characters, it’s ice cream.

Humans have been eating our emotions for as long as we can remember. But that doesn’t make it a good idea. There’s a science behind emotional eating and comfort food ― the factors that cause cravings and the ways that giving in to those cravings affects us.

The big three hormones: cortisol, dopamine and serotonin.

Cortisol is our main stress hormone, triggering our fight-or-flight instinct. It also regulates how our bodies use carbohydrates, fats and proteins. So if we’re stressed or anxious and cortisol kicks in, that can make us want to carbo-load.

“When we’re stressed, our bodies are flooded in cortisol,” said author and clinical psychologist Susan Albers. “That makes us crave sugary, fatty, salty foods.”

Then there’s dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with learning about rewards. It kicks into gear at the promise that something positive is about to happen, like eating a food you love. The comfort foods we turn to because they taste so good give us a surge of dopamine, Albers said, and we look for that high again and again.

“There’s research that says even anticipating eating certain foods generates dopamine,” said Karen R. Koenig, a licensed clinical social worker, eating psychology expert, blogger and author. That explains why scientists call it “the anticipation molecule” ― it’s released when we know we’re about to experience something pleasurable. “You don’t even have to be eating [to generate dopamine],” Koenig told HuffPost.

And let’s not forget serotonin, aka “the happy chemical,” which when it drops to low levels can be linked to depression. A hormone and neurotransmitter, serotonin itself isn’t in food ― but tryptophan, an amino acid necessary to produce serotonin, is. Famously associated with turkey, tryptophan is also found in cheese, and that could be why Thanksgiving drumsticks and grilled cheese sandwiches are a comfort. Carbs can also boost serotonin levels, which can improve your mood, and chocolate, too, is linked to a serotonin spike.

Eating can be a convenient distraction from emotions.

Sarah Allen, a psychologist specializing in mood and eating disorders, lists stress and boredom as two main drivers of emotional eating. And that’s because eating is a task.

“Eating gives us something to do. It fills our time, gives us a way to procrastinate,” Albers told HuffPost.

We often use eating to mark time — lunch, for instance, can provide a break in a dragging work day. So we come to associate eating with relief or even excitement, and it’s only natural that we’d reach for those same feelings when we’re worried or sad.

“Events don’t have a meaning; we give them a meaning,” Koenig said. “The meaning of eating is, ‘I’m going to be happy. I’m not going to be in emotional discomfort. I’ll have this wonderful experience.’”

This connection is also relevant when it comes to another kind of emotional eating: happy eating. Think about how you celebrate big achievements and special occasions, or even just define fun outings. We treat ourselves to our favorite foods to define a moment of pride or joy, and we link activities like going to a movie with getting to indulge in candy.

We choose the familiar discomfort of food over the unfamiliar discomfort of feelings.

“There’s conscious and unconscious emotional discomfort,” Koenig said. “Sometimes we know [what we’re feeling], sometimes we don’t — we just feel uneasy or not happy, and we don’t deal with that. Instead, we just eat. Then we get what we know we’ll have: shame, remorse, regret. ... We trade in the first discomfort, which is maybe unfamiliar and something we’re more frightened of, for the familiar feelings that come after emotional eating.”

Comfort foods don’t tend to be healthy. We want cake or pasta or chips when we’re emotionally eating. There are a few reasons for this, according to Albers: We have emotional memories around certain foods, which are more likely to involve your grandma’s lasagna than a salad. Plus, our culture categorizes certain foods as treats or guilty pleasures, and that’s what we want to soothe or reward ourselves. Furthermore, something like a candy bar gives your blood sugar a surge, which makes you feel better in the moment.

But after we eat for emotional reasons, we may not feel too great ― because we know we overate or consumed unhealthy foods. Or maybe we feel just fine ― because we’re celebrating a hard-earned promotion with a red velvet cupcake. Either way, we’re replacing our original feelings with the emotions that arise out of eating, from shame to satisfaction.

We associate comfort food with positive memories.

“Comfort foods are food items that are closely linked to our moms as our emotional partners,” said Jordan D. Troisi, associate professor of psychology at Sewanee university.

Troisi worked on a 2015 study conducted for the journal Appetite by a State University of New York at Buffalo research team. The study involved a group of undergraduate students, some of whom were asked to remember a time when one of their close relationships was threatened or they felt alienated in some way. Afterward, those who recalled feelings of isolation or loneliness were more likely to consume comfort foods, Troisi said, and they found those foods to be tastier than did other students who were not eating the comfort foods in an emotionally negative situation.

“We’re working with the assumption that individuals ... consume comfort foods when they feel isolation because it reminds them of the strong relationships they do or did have, and that can alleviate that isolation,” Troisi said.

Think about all the happy and comforting memories you have involving food. Maybe your family used to celebrate occasions with a trip to the ice cream shop, or maybe your mom or dad used to soften the blow of a bad day with macaroni and cheese. When you’re feeling rejected or anxious today, eating one of those foods is an instant connection to that soothing time.

Here’s how experts suggest you control emotional eating.

All of the experts we spoke with said that emotional eating can be OK in moderation. But when this behavior becomes a habit, that can harm you both physically and emotionally — physically, because of the regular consumption (and perhaps overconsumption) of foods that aren’t so healthy, and emotionally, because, as Albers noted, eating to avoid facing feelings is like putting a “Bandaid on a broken arm.”

So how do we separate our emotions from eating? To start with, we have to remember food’s true purpose ― to nourish us. In fact, Koenig suggests that the term “comfort food” itself could be part of the problem.

“A misleading misnomer if there ever was one, comfort is not something we want to keep associating with food,” Koenig said. “We want to file food in our brains under nourishment and occasional pleasure. We want to seek comfort through friends, doing kind things for ourselves and engaging in healthy activities that reduce internal distress.”

“As soon as you start looking for food, stop,” Allen advised. “Think, ‘Am I hungry? Do I need food in my stomach, or is one of my triggers going off? What do I need right now?’”

Both Albers and Koenig said that we should ask ourselves if we’re actually hungry for food or if we need some other action to treat what we’re feeling. Allen suggests journaling, even if it’s just quickly jotting down what you’re eating when and taping that note to the fridge, in order to recognize a pattern in what you eat, when you eat it and why. Koenig recommends thinking of a flow chart: Am I hungry ― yes or no? What do I want to eat? Am I not hungry? What I am feeling? If you’re grieving, think of constructive ways to sit with that grief. If you’re angry or hurt by someone, go talk to that person.

Albers and Koenig also pinpoint the concept of mindful eating. Eating should be its own activity. Instead of mood-driven consumption, we should be solving our emotional needs on their own and concentrating on our meals on their own. What good is even the most delicious treat if you’re so emotionally distracted that you’re just eating and eating to the point where you can’t even taste it anymore, and you’ve ignored the signs of fullness to the point of discomfort? When we eat, the goal is to sit down and really experience that meal and its flavors, and be aware of when we’re full.

One important thing to remember if you’re trying to curb emotional eating habits is not to go cold turkey: Don’t give up on every single food habit at once, don’t beat yourself up about the times you do eat your feelings and do think about other forms of comfort and reward.

“When you tell yourself you can’t have something, then you want that thing,” Allen said. “If you say you can’t have chocolate, you think of chocolate.”

The risk of being too hard on ourselves is that it only increases feelings of stress, longing, shame and guilt, all of which can just lead to a vicious cycle. We can enjoy our cookies every now and then, but we should try to eat them for the pleasure of eating a cookie and not as a form of self-therapy.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday he saw investment opportunities of more than $100 billion in India over the next two years as he began his first official visit amid tensions between arch foes India and Pakistan.

India rolled out the red carpet for the crown prince as it seeks diplomatic support against Pakistan following a militant attack in Kashmir.

The crown prince was also given a lavish welcome this week in Pakistan where the two sides signed memoranda of understanding valued at about $20 billion to help prop up Pakistan’s economy.

In a joint press appearance after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the crown prince said terrorism was a common concern and Saudi Arabia was ready to share intelligence with India to tackle it.

India blames Pakistan for not doing enough to roll up militant groups that operate from its soil including the one that claimed responsibility for the Kashmir car bombing on Thursday last week.

Pakistan denies any involvement in cross-border terrorism and said it would retaliate against an Indian attack.

“We face similar challenges, chief among them extremism and terrorism … and we reaffirm to India that we are ready to work in the intelligence and political arenas to coordinate our efforts…” the crown prince said.

Saudi Arabia’s formidable domestic security structure helped put down an al Qaeda bombing campaign over a decade ago. But the kingdom continues to face occasional attacks by Sunni Islamic State fighters and Shi’ite militants in its Eastern Province.

Saudi Aramco in talks

Riyadh also leads a coalition of Arab states fighting in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Iranian-aligned Houthi fighters, who regularly fire rockets across the kingdom’s southern border.

The crown prince also said he wanted to expand commercial relations with India.

“Today we expect the opportunities we are targeting in India in various fields to exceed $100 billion in the coming two years… we want to work with you, Mr Prime Minister, to ensure these investments are made and to ensure useful returns for both countries.”

Giant petroleum and natural gas company Saudi Aramco said it was in talks with Reliance Industries Ltd for possible investments and was seeking other opportunities.

Both India and Pakistan had expected a scaling up of investments on the crown prince’s first tour of the region since the storm over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

The killing of Khashoggi, a known critic of the crown prince, has strained Saudi Arabia’s ties with the West and battered the prince’s image abroad. He’s next due in China.

The European Commission has added Saudi Arabia to an EU draft list of countries that pose a threat to the bloc because of lax controls against terrorism financing and money laundering, sources told Reuters last month.

But Modi has sought to use India’s fast-growing economy to attract more investment from Saudi Arabia and other Islamic nations since he took office.

During the press briefing, Modi said he had agreed with the prince to strengthen cooperation on counter-terrorism and naval and cyber security.

The two countries signed agreements on investment in infrastructure, housing sector and tourism.

We all have that one perpetually single friend who keeps striking out in their dating life, despite being an amazing person. 

It’s frustrating to watch because you just know there’s someone out there who’s worthy of them, if only they could find that person. 

If you feel bummed out over the situation, just imagine how burned out they’re feeling about the whole thing. 

In these dire Tinder times, chances are your friend could use a little encouragement ― and maybe a little outside help in finding someone decent. That’s where you come in. Below, dating experts share six tips for becoming the best wing-person possible for your bestie. 

1. Set them up with someone who’s just as amazing as they are. 

You might not be able to save your friend from dating another fuckboy, ghoster or commitment-phobe, but you can set them up with people you think have potential. 

Scout for your friend: Get some intel on that cute guy at the office who always opens the door for everyone. Think about friends you have in other circles who might be your friend’s type. Once you’ve zeroed in on a few people, get busy making intros, said Lori Zaslow, a Manhattan-based dating coach and matchmaker.

“The great thing here is that you can build them up to the person you’re setting them up with and help establish a positive vibe before they even meet,” she told HuffPost. “That will give your friend more confidence walking in the door versus that awkward feeling of a first date with a total stranger.” 

2. Focus on listening more than lending advice. 

Don’t lend your friend the same tired advice they’ve heard a million times before: “There are plenty of fish in the sea” or “You’re a great person, so just be yourself!” Also, don’t assume whatever you did to meet your S.O. will work for them; falling in love isn’t prescriptive. We all take different paths.

As well-intentioned as your advice may be, what your friend needs most is for you to listen. You need a sounding board ― or a good therapist ― after your umpteenth bad Tinder date. 

“In general, I’d say avoid unsolicited advice and canned platitudes, which can make your friend feel frustrated and invalidated,” said Jessica Engle, a psychotherapist in the San Francisco Bay area. “Instead, focus on listening and empathizing; offer solutions and feedback only if requested directly.”

3. If the red flags are mounting up, say something.

We’re all guilty of slipping on rose-colored glasses when we meet someone who seems good on paper. The problem is, those rosy sunnies make red flags all but impossible to see. If you sense that something’s off with your friend’s new S.O. ― they’re quick to fits of anger or already seem disinterested in your pal ―  offer some real talk, said Kimberly Seltzer, a dating coach and the owner of Elite Image Makeovers. 

“Often friends see red flags right when they meet a potential match, but they may not say anything in fear of hurting them,” she said. “Be honest. Let the friend know about the concerns and tell them how that person might not be as good of a match for them as they think.”

4. Make sure they’re prioritizing self-care.

The stress of dating in 2019 can leave you more than a little exhausted: Answering DMs on dating apps can feel like a full-time job, making time for dates after work is energy-zapping, and managing your feelings for all these new people you meet is rough, too. 

In the middle of all that craziness, ensure that your friend is making self-care a priority, said Jenny Apple, a matchmaker in Los Angeles. 

“Be sure that your friend is taking care of their physical and mental health,” she said. “A person who has good control over their emotions or expresses them in a healthy way, and feels good in their own body will carry themselves with dignity and project positivity in a way that attracts others of healthy and sound mind. That’s how you find real and lasting love.” 

5.  Remind them that they’re awesome.  

It’s demoralizing to go on date after date and develop connections with people only to hear that “you’re great, but we aren’t right for each other.” (Or worse, getting ghosted by someone you like and endlessly wondering if you did something wrong.) 

Counter any negative self-talk that may be running through your friend’s head ― “I’m not good enough or “I shouldn’t have texted him so much, I’m clearly too needy” ― by reminding them that they’re wonderful just as they are, said Lily Womble, a dating coach and the founder of Date Brazen. 

“Like it or not, your single friends are looking to you for some validation that they’re awesome and worthy of love,” she said.

Remind them, too, that no one person can define their self-worth. They’re amazing, interesting and whole on their own. Even better, they have plenty of friends and family who can vouch for that.

6. Remind your friend that they’re going to have to get out of the house to find love.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a break from the search; dating fatigue is very real. But if it’s been forever since your friend’s last date and they’re in a good head space, encourage them to put a bit more effort into the endeavor.

“Remind them to go out and look for love. Mr. Right is not going to break into your house!” said C. Renee Mangum, a blogger and the co-author of The Bestie Code. “Your friend has to be willing to open themself up to new things, new experiences and, potentially, new love.”

Maybe opening themselves up means allotting a half hour a week to swiping on a dating app ― or smiling at dudes they think are hot at the bar instead of ignoring them the whole night.

On your end, that could mean bringing your friend as a plus one to a work happy hour or cool parties you’re invited to.

TL;DR? Actively look for opportunities to play wing woman/man for your single friend, and hopefully, they’ll be coupled up in no time. 

NEW DELHI — Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for receiving Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the airport, the Congress on Wednesday asked whether according a grand welcome to “those who praised” Pakistan’s “anti-terror efforts” was his way of remembering the martyrs of the Pulwama attack.

In a special gesture, the prime minister received the Saudi crown prince at Palam airport on Tuesday night. The visit comes five days after a suicide bomber belonging to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group killed 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

“National interests V/S Modiji’s ‘hugplomacy’.

“Breaking protocol, grand welcome to those who pledged $20 billion to Pakistan and praised Pakistan’s ‘anti-terror’ efforts. Is it ur way of remembering martyrs of Pulwama?” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter.

The Congress spokesperson was referring to the crown prince’s visit to Pakistan, during which the two countries signed investments agreements worth $20 billion.

Surjewala also tagged photographs of Modi hugging the crown prince and sharing a laugh at the Palam airport.

He urged Modi to “show courage” and ask Saudi Arabia to undo its joint statement with Pakistan, in which they called for avoiding “politicisation” of the UN listing regime at a time when India was stepping up efforts to brand JeM chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist.

“Modiji, Is asking for a terrorist to be designated as such politicisation of UN listings? Would you show courage to ask Saudi Arabia to undo their ‘Joint Statement’ with Pak virtually rejecting India’s demand for designating Masood Azhar as a ‘global terrorist’?” he said.

After being received at the Islamabad airport by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Saudi leader said in a Saudi-Pak joint statement that dialogue was the only way to resolve “outstanding issues” between India and Pakistan.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma tweeted, “PM Modi seems to be eager to compete with and emulate the Pakistan PM Imran Khan in breaking protocol and receiving Saudi Crown Prince... without any need or justification”.

“Worse, the joint statement does not refer to the ban on either Jaish or Masood Azhar,” he said.

Sharma added, “The fact that the Crown Prince has visited Pakistan after the dastardly attack and refused to endorse the ban on Masood Azhar and the declaration of Jaish E Mohammed as a terrorist organisation seems to have been lost on the Prime Minister.”

He called it a “glaring diplomatic failure” for which Modi must answer to the nation.

SRINAGAR — Braving snowfall and rains, over 2,000 Kashmiri youths participated in an Army recruitment rally in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, defence officials said on Wednesday.

The recruitment rally, conducted at Gantamulla Army Camp on Tuesday, comes just five days after the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 paramilitary personnel were killed.

Officials said the youths from northern districts of the valley turned in large numbers to participate in the rally.

“Youth of Kashmir turned in large numbers to join the Armed Forces. The recruitment drive is being conducted at Gantamulla, Baramulla. Immense patriotic fervour, an idea of better life and career in Army are great cause for Kashmiri Youth,” the Army wrote on its official Twitter handle.

The post was accompanied by a 20-second video showing hundreds of Kashmiri youths wearing ‘pheran’, a traditional Kashmiri cloak used to beat the cold, waiting for their turn to undergo the physical examination and endurance tests for the recruitment.

The officials said more recruitment rallies are scheduled in Srinagar later this week and next week.

RAIPUR, Chhattisgarh — In 2016, when Bhupesh Baghel was the Congress state president in Chhattisgarh and SRP Kalluri was the Inspector General of Police incharge of Maoist insurgency-hit Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, Baghel stood up in the state assembly to denounce Kalluri.

“The entire Bastar region is witnessing fake encounters and gang rapes,” Baghel said, referring to the extra-judicial execution of two adivasis, Sonaku Ram and Bijalu Ram Kashyap, by security forces. “And Kalluri says people like Sonaku are hardcore Maoists.”

Three years later, Baghel is Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, and Kalluri — a tainted police officer who many hoped would be sidelined by the new administration — has become a favourite of the new political dispensation.

Since the new Congress government was sworn in on December 17, 2018, Kalluri has been given charge of the Economic Offenses Wing of the Chhattisgarh police, and he now heads a Special Investigation Team set up to look into the much talked about Public Distribution Scheme scam under Raman Singh government. Rumour has it that Baghel has also cleared Kalluri’s promotion to the position of Additional Director General of Police.

Yet his elevation has come as a shock to those who expected that a Congress government would herald an administration with greater respect for the Indian constitution, particularly the bit about fundamental rights and the right to life. Kalluri’s rise is a testament to the truism that political convenience almost always trumps any lofty claims to ideology.

“Kalluri was close to Ajit Jogi when he was CM. Then he became close to Raman Singh who ruled the state for 15 years and now he has managed to strike a good rapport with chief minister Bhupesh Baghel,” said a senior police officer. “Either he blackmails everyone or surrenders completely to every chief minister but Kalluri surely knows the trick to earn the trust of the chief minister and this trick is inexplicable.”

Over the years, Kalluri has been accused of raping a tribal woman in 2006 and imprisoning her against her will — a case that was memorably raised as recently as a 2016 press conference held by Baghel himself.

Apart from serious allegations of rape, Kalluri has overseen violent counterinsurgency operations that are now being investigated by the National Human Rights Commission, and held innumerable press conferences accusing reputed academics like sociologist Nandini Sundar, celebrated writers like Arundhati Roy, and rights activists like Medha Patkar, of working for the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). He has incarcerated journalists a way to suppress reporting on his police force’s human rights violations in south Chhattisgarh, while adivasi politician Soni Sori has said she was tortured in custody at his behest.

“Kalluri threatened to shoot me because I was reporting on police excesses on adivasis,” Santosh Yadav, a journalist based in Darbha area of Bastar told HuffPost India. “A week after this threat, I was arrested.”

Yadav, 30, was charged under the draconian Chhattisgarh Public Security Act in 2015 and spent 17 months in jail before he was given bail by the Supreme Court in 2017.

″I was tortured in the police custody by the then Bastar SP R N Das who was one of Kalluri’s favorite officers,” Yadav said. “I was continuously told that I would be killed. I remember Baghel had called him a mass murderer of tribals. What has happened now?

 “Why is this mass murderer being promoted to a top position in the police department?”

Kamal Shukla, another journalist who faced cases when Kalluri was posted in Bastar, sat on a hunger strike last month in Raipur in protest of Kalluri’s posting at the Economic Offences Wing.

“Thousands of adivasis were implicated in fake cases and hundreds of them were killed and branded as Maoists. Kalluri targeted every journalist, lawyer and human rights activist who was standing in support of Bastar’s tribals,” Shukla said. “Baghel, as an opposition leader, demanded that Kalluri be sacked and sent to jail.

“After becoming the CM he has given a key posting to Kalluri. The government should make it clear why it is shielding such a brutal officer.”

Kalluri and Baghel’s new-found friendship, serving police officers say, is a consequence of Baghel’s desire to settle scores with another powerful and controversial police officer, Director General of Police Mukesh Gupta who, till he was transferred, headed the Economic Offences Wing.

As head of the wing in 2018, Gupta had opened an investigation into a case of land allotment in which Baghel his family were accused of irregularities in a land allotment case.

According to an IG level officer, Baghel sought to target Gupta soon after taking over as the CM.

“But many IPS officers refused to investigate complaints against Gupta since he is considered a very powerful officer. An IG level officer went incommunicado when the CM asked him to file an FIR against Gupta in connection with illegal phone tapping,” the officer said. “It was then Kalluri stepped in and promised the CM that he will take action against Gupta and arrest him. This is how he managed to get into the good books of the chief minister and now he is on the verge of becoming one of his favorite officers.”

Kalluri kept his word after being appointed as the head of EOW and SIT, he rushed to file an FIR against Gupta accusing him of illegal phone tapping. The FIR was filed on February 7, and Baghel suspended Gupta soon after.

Fifteen MPs, cutting across party lines, wrote a letter to Baghel earlier this month seeking an inquiry that looks into the actions of SRP Kalluri during his posting as Bastar IG.

Baghel told a delegation of activists led by Son Sori on Wednesday that promotion of Kalluri is a routine procedure but if there any complaints against him, then proper action would be taken.

Kalluri did not respond to requests for comment, but for now, the Congress is digging in its heels.

“Bhupesh Baghel is being misquoted here. He never said Kalluri should be jailed. He did raise cases of human rights violations and violence against women in Bastar. He was not alone, in fact, Rahul Gandhi raised those issues in New Delhi. And we are still taking the same stand,” said Shailesh Nitin Trivedi, the head of Congress’s communication department in Chhattisgarh and close aide of Baghel.

Trivedi claimed there had no fresh complaints of atrocities in Bastar. Yet on February 8, the Congress’s representative from Bastar, Kawasi Lakhma wrote to Baghel, demanding compensation for two adivasis killed in an allegedly staged encounter in Bastar on Feb 2, this year.

Trivedi conceded that Kalluri’s record was far from spotless.

“Naturally, Kalluri has been kept away from Bastar,” Trivedi said. “As long as he is an IPS posted in Chhattisgarh, he will have to be given some responsibility. And giving him some kind of responsibility doesn’t mean the allegations against him have been forgotten. Congress government is absolutely clear that no one can be given permission to inflict atrocities on adivasis.”

Jussie Smollett faces a possible prison sentence after police said Wednesday that the actor filed a false report about a racist and homophobic assault he claimed to have suffered in Chicago, localoutlets confirmed. 

The Cook County state attorney’s office revealed it was charging Smollett with disorderly conduct in connection with filing a false report, a felony. A bond hearing is set for Thursday afternoon, ABC 7 Chicago reported. 

Smollett, 36, came under scrutiny after anonymous law enforcement sources came forward claiming that the actor may have paid two men to stage the attack. Smollett said initially that two masked men assaulted him in the early hours of Jan. 29, wrapped a rope around his neck, poured bleach on him, yelled racial and homophobic slurs, and said, “this is MAGA country,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan, as they fled the scene. Immediately after the attack, police said they were investigating it as a possible hate crime.

Wednesday’s announcement comes hours after police called the actor “a suspect in a criminal investigation … for filing a false police report.”

Once rumors began swirling and law enforcement sources came forward with new information, the Chicago Police Department confirmed on Feb. 16 that the trajectory of its investigation had “shifted” toward Smollett. 

At the time, his attorneys denied that the attack was a hoax.

“He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack,” a statement read. “Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”

Smollett had previously said he was “pissed off” that people were questioning his story.

“At first it was a thing of like, ’Listen, if at first I tell the truth, then that’s it, ’cause it’s the truth.’ Then it became a thing of like, ‘Oh, how can you doubt that? How do you not believe that? It’s the truth,’” he said in an interview with “Good Morning America.” “And then it became a thing of like, ‘Oh, it’s not necessarily that you don’t believe that this is the truth, you don’t even want to see the truth.’”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

NEW DELHI — The Vande Bharat Express hit a motorcycle near Allahabad on its third commercial run on Wednesday, the railways said, adding that no one was injured in the incident.

The incident occurred hours after stones were hurled at the train near Tundla in Uttar Pradesh in the morning.

The incident took place near Phaphamau, around 42 km from Allahabad.

“The train hit a motorcycle, which was abandoned by its owner on the tracks as he saw the train approaching while illegally trespassing on the tracks. While the vehicle has completely been damaged, the Vande Bharat Express suffered none. No one was injured and the train will run as per schedule,” Northern Railway Spokesperson Deepak Kumar said.

The train, made indigenously at a cost of around Rs 97 crore, has been plagued by issues since its trial runs commenced in November last year.

A stone was hurled at the Vande Bharat Express breaking one of its window panes, the third such incident in two months involving India’s fastest train, the railways said.

The train was crossing Tundla junction when the incident happened, Northern Railway Spokesperson Deepak Kumar said.

Earlier, during a trial run between Delhi and Agra in December last year, stones were hurled at the train as well. A similar incident occurred earlier that month too.

After the first incident of stone throwing, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) had started campaigns across the areas where such cases were reported.

Investigation into several incidents of the sort in Delhi established that most of the stone-pelters were young children. Since then, the RPF has distributed toys, sweets, colour pencils and other such things to them to stop them from hurling stones at trains.

It’s like the royal wedding all over again!

Meghan Markle’s famous friends showed up in New York City for her baby shower, which was held Wednesday at the Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side. 

Gayle King, Amal Clooney, “Suits” star Abigail Spencer, fashion designer Misha Nonoo, makeup artist Daniel Martin and Meghan’s best friend, stylist Jessica Mulroney, were all pictured entering the location.

Serena Williams posted a picture of herself at the venue.

For her grand, snowy entrance, Clooney wore a gorgeous red jumpsuit from the luxury women’s ready-to-wear label Sergio Hudson with a matching red belt, oversize black blazer and gold heels.

She also carried a fun black-and-red clutch and wore thick gold hoops. 

King kept things bright with a multicolored scarf and clutch, a long purple coat and pink heels. She also carried a brightly hued gift bag, presumably filled with something for the Duchess of Sussex’s little one. 

According to pictures of the event, it featured a cotton candy machine and Away suitcases that looked like gifts for attendees.

Harpist Erin Hill, as identified by People, was seen unloading her instrument in the snow before heading into the hotel. 

The Duchess of Sussex was first spotted in New York City on Monday night with her security detail. She reportedly landed in the city over the weekend for a five-day trip for her baby shower. 

The former “Suits” actress was spotted out and about with friends on Tuesday night leaving the Mark and heading to the Polo Bar with friends, including Serena Williams. 

Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, are expecting their first child at the end of April or beginning of May, according to the duchess. 

This story has been updated to include additional information about the shower.

The Australian government has confirmed the extinction of a small rodent native to a tiny spit of sand in the northernmost part of the Great Barrier Reef ― the first known mammal lost to human-caused climate change.

Bramble Cay melomys lived on the coral island of Bramble Cay, located in the Torres Strait between Queensland state and Papua New Guinea. The Government of Queensland initially declared the species extinct in a 2016 report, and Australian Environment Minister Melissa Price confirmed the die-off in a press release this week. The whiskered rat has been officially reclassified from “endangered” to “extinct.”

Geoff Richardson, an official with Australia’s Department of the Environment and Energy, told lawmakers on Monday that the declaration “was not a decision to take lightly,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

“There’s always a delay while the evidence is gathered to be absolutely certain,” he said.

It is estimated that several hundred Melomys rubicola roamed the island in the late 1970s, according to the 2016 report co-authored by researchers at the University of Queensland. By the late 1990s, the population had fallen to below 100 individuals. The last reported sighting was by a fisherman in 2009.  

The 2016 report concluded that the “key factor responsible for the extirpation of this population was almost certainly ocean inundation,” which resulted in “dramatic habitat loss and perhaps also direct mortality of individuals.” Sea levels around the world have risen by an average 8 inches since the beginning of the 20th century, and are forecast to rise by as many as four additional feet by 2100, according to NASA. Thousands of low-lying atolls in the Pacific and Indian oceans could be left uninhabitable by the mid-century, a recent study found.

In a series of posts to Twitter, Sen. Janet Rice, a member of the Australian Greens party, called the extinction “a huge tragedy” and accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of turning a blind eye on the species.

“There must be a review of how this happened,” Rice wrote. “No species needs to go extinct. This is a political choice.”

Leeanne Enoch, Queensland’s minister for environment and the Great Barrier Reef, told the Herald that the loss of the species shows that “we are living the real effects of climate change right now.”

“We have consistently called on Scott Morrison and Melissa Price to show leadership on climate change, instead of burying their heads in the sand,” Enoch said. “How many more species do we have to lose for the federal government to take action?”

Along with sea-level rise, drought and extreme weather, climate change is driving the biodiversity crisis that scientists have declared Earth’s sixth mass extinction event. As many as 150 species die off each day. Insect populations around the globe have plummeted, largely as a result of habitat loss and pesticide use. And a 2017 study estimated that 47 percent of mammals and 23 percent of birds on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species have been negatively affected by our changing planet.

“The extinction of the Bramble Cay melomys is just the first of what will be countless species lost to climate change if we don’t get our pollution under control,” Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an email Wednesday. “We’re already seeing declines in polar bears and many coral species around the world, and it’s only going to get worse without swift action.”

Nikhil Advani, a lead specialist on climate and wildlife at the World Wildlife Fund, echoed that message. 

“We must urgently reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to limit the worst impacts of climate change, while also helping species adapt to a changing climate,” he said in an email.

A dire report late last year from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading United Nations consortium of researchers studying anthropogenic climate change, makes clear that limiting future warming could prevent scores of species from going extinct in the coming decades.

The IPCC report projects that 6 percent of insects and 8 percent of plants would lose more than half their geographic range with warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. Those percentages increase to 18 and 16, respectively, under the 2-degree scenario.

“The Bramble Cay melomys was a little brown rat,” Tim Beshara, federal policy director at The Wilderness Society in Australia, said in a press release. “But it was our little brown rat and it was our responsibility to make sure it persisted. And we failed.”

DHAKA — At least 69 people were killed as a massive fire on Wednesday night ripped through several buildings also used as chemical and plastic warehouses in an old part of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

The fire broke out at a chemical warehouse on the ground floor of a four-storey building named Hazi Wahed Mansion behind a Mosque in Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar area and the flames then quickly spread through four other buildings nearby, including a community centre, fire officials said.

At least 69 people have been killed in the massive blaze, fire officials said, adding that the death toll could rise further as dozens of people were trapped in the buildings and the fire fighters were yet to enter into the main spot where the fire broke out.

Most of the bodies were retrieved from the houses around that building while fire fighters now prepare to enter into the five-storey building, the main spot in search of more bodies, a police official at the scene said.

Witnesses said the victims also included passersby, some people who were eating food at a nearby restaurants and some members of a wedding party.

Fire officials said the second, third and fourth floors of the building were used as warehouses and plastic factories and there were some residential flats also.

Over 50 wounded people were being treated at Dhaka’s two major state-run facilities Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s burn unit and Sir Salimullah Medical College.

Many people were injured after they jumped off the building that housed several families.

The officials earlier said 37 fire fighting units were moved to the scene but narrow lanes made it difficult for fire engines to reach the spot forcing the fire fighters to use long hose pipes to set off the blaze.

A nearly identical incident of fire in 2010 in an old Dhaka building, which was also used as a chemical warehouse, killed more than 120 people in one of the worst fire tragedies in Bangladesh.

It had sparked a public outcry, demanding the relocation of chemical warehouses and stores from the area, but little has been done in the last nine years.

NEW DELHI— Jammu and Kashmir state withdrew the security details for 18 separatist leaders and 155 other opposition figures on Wednesday after an Islamist suicide bomber killed 40 paramilitary troopers in Pulwama last week.

The restive mountain state is currently administered by India’s federal government after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party walked out a coalition with a major Kashmiri party.

The separatist leaders had been allocated security personnel to protect them from militants after they entered talks with the federal government.

In a statement, the Jammu and Kashmir state government said it “felt that providing security to these separatist leaders is a wastage of scarce state resources which could be better utilized elsewhere”.

Besides the separatist leaders, the security of 155 political figures and activists - some from mainstream opposition parties - was also withdrawn, the statement said.

“Through this (step), over 1,000 police personnel and over 100 vehicles are freed to do regular police work,” it said.

Both India and Pakistan lay claim to Kashmir and have twice gone to war over it since independence from Britain in 1947. India accuses Pakistan of fomenting decades of sporadic insurgency in its only Muslim-majority state.

Pakistan denies that, saying it only offers political support to the Kashmiri people.

SAN FRANCISCO/LONDON — Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday unveiled a nearly $2,000 folding smartphone in a bid to top the technology of Apple Inc and Chinese rivals and reignite consumer interest amid slumping sales.

The Galaxy Fold will go on sale on April 26 and take advantage of new and faster 5G mobile networks. The device looks similar to a conventional smartphone, but then opens like a book to reveal a display the size of a small tablet at 7.3 inches (18.5 cm).

The device “answers skeptics who said that everything that could be done has been done,” DJ Koh, chief executive of Samsung Electronics, said at an event in San Francisco. “We are here to prove them wrong.”

Samsung remains the world’s largest smartphone maker with nearly a fifth of global unit sales but underperformed a slumping market last year. Chinese rival Huawei Technologies Co Ltd - whose Mate series of phones also command premium prices - gained market share. Other Chinese makers like Xiaomi Corp have also been increasing prices, leaving Samsung to defend its turf against upstart rivals in addition to its longtime foe Apple.

With the foldable phone, Samsung is going on the offense on two fronts in the smartphone race: It is offering an eye-catching new feature with the big, bending screen and the first 5G connection in a premium phone, a feature analysts do not expect Apple to match until 2020.

Samsung is also making improvements to its flagship Galaxy S devices and plans to offer a 4G version of its folding phone.

It also challenges the notion of what a phone can cost, debuting at nearly twice the price of current top-of-the-line models from Apple and Samsung itself.

Patrick Moorhead, founder of Moor Insights & Strategy, said the new folding device could help Samsung stay at the top and lure consumers to upgrade devices that have looked largely the same over the past five years.

“Samsung and Apple go back and forth” to lead the premium smartphone market, Moorhead said. “I think this is Samsung’s chance to take back the innovation crown.”

And even though the $1,980 starting price is steep, some dedicated Samsung fans said they would pay it. Navneet Kumar Singh, a Samsung enthusiast from India who traveled to San Francisco to watch the launch, is ready to place his order.

“The prices of the flagship models have been a little aggressive in India,” he said, “But in the end, if you invest the money you’re getting a different experience.”

Samsung also introduced several accessories to compete against Apple, including a pair of wireless headphones called Galaxy Buds. The headphones include wireless charging, a feature that Apple has promised to put into is competing AirPods but has not yet released.

Samsung also said that its new Galaxy phones will be able to wirelessly charge its headphones and new smartwatches by setting the accessories on the back of the phone.

10 times faster

Along with the folding phone, Samsung also added new cameras and a 5G version to its Galaxy series of phones.

Verizon Communications Inc will be the first carrier to offer service for Samsung’s 5G phones. The networks are expected to be 10 times faster than current ones, improving viewing of live news and sports events. 

With the 5G versions of its flagships, the Korean electronics maker looks to have beaten Chinese rivals in the 5G race, although the device will operate only on the small number of networks launching later this year. Apple is not expected to release a 5G smartphone until late 2020.

The new networks are not available in many places yet but will roll out this year and next. Consumers who want to hold on to their phones for several years before upgrading may be tempted to buy a 5G phone now so that it will be able to take advantage of those networks later, said Bob O’Donnell of TECHnalysis Research. That could sway some Apple buyers over to Samsung and other Android makers with 5G devices.

“People are going to be thinking about, am going to be able to use this a year from now? Two years from now? Three years?” he said.

Rival smartphone makers are expected to announce 5G models at next week’s Mobile World Congress, the industry’s top annual event, in Spain. Samsung said its 5G handset would be available in the early summer.

The Galaxy 10 series needs to appeal to consumers who are reluctant to upgrade for only incremental technological improvements in performance.

All of the Galaxy series of rigid phones except the 5G will be available from March 8, with the S10+ priced from $1,000, the S10 priced from $900 and the smaller S10e from $750.

The mainline S10 compares with $999 for Apple’s iPhone XS and $858 for Huawei’s premium Mate 20 Pro.

HYDERABAD — A 48-year-old man from Hyderabad was allegedly shot dead in the US by an unidentified man, his family members claimed on Wednesday.

K Govardhan Reddy, a resident of the Uppal area in Hyderabad, was attacked by the assailant at a fuel-filling station-cum supermarket in Florida on Tuesday, according to one of Reddy’s friends Ramesh.

“We got the information today (Wednesday) morning that a masked man shot dead Govardhan when he was alone at the store and fled away. As per preliminary information, the accused did not take away any cash. The motive of the killing is not known,” Ramesh said based on information received from a relative staying in the US.

Goverdhan is survived by a wife and two daughters. He had gone to the US around five years ago and worked as a manager there, Ramesh said.