NEW DELHI — Nirmohi Akhara, one of the litigants in the Ayodhya case, on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court opposing the Centre’s plea seeking return of 67.390 acre of “non-disputed” acquired land around the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site to original owners.

The Allahabad High Court in 2010 had decided that 2.77-acre disputed land at Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site would be divided into three equal parts and will be handed over to — Nirmohi Akhara, Sunni Waqf Board, and Ram Lalla.

The Nirmohi Akhara, in its fresh plea, has opposed the Centre’s application by which it had sought modification of the Supreme Court’s 2003 order to allow it to return to original owners the 67.390 acre of “non-disputed” acquired land around the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya.

The application has said that the Centre has proposed returning of acquired land to Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and that there are many temples on the acquired land and their rights would be affected if the land is returned to one party.

The apex court had recently appointed mediators to find an amicable solution to the vexatious land dispute.

NEW DELHI—Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling alliance will be just a few seats short of a majority in parliament, bolstered by a rise in nationalist sentiment over hostilities with arch foe Pakistan, a survey showed on Monday, days before voting begins.

About 900 million people are eligible to vote in the Lok Sabha elections starting on Thursday, in which Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led group is taking on the Congress and its allies and a clutch of regional parties.

The election had become tighter because of discontent in the countryside over a weak rural economy and lack of jobs for young people. But over the last month, support for Modi’s Hindu nationalist party has grown following a spike in tension with Pakistan, the polls say.

The BJP and its allies are expected to win 267 of the 543 parliament seats at stake, the CVoter polling agency said, just five short of the halfway mark required to rule.

The latest estimate is down sharply from the alliance’s current tally of 330 seats secured when Modi swept to power in 2014, promising to transform Asia’s third-largest economy.

Modi ordered air strikes in February on the suspected camp of a militant group based in Pakistan that had claimed responsibility for a deadly car bombing in disputed Kashmir, dramatically ratcheting up tension with the neighbouring nation.

Pakistan sent war planes into Indian Kashmir the next day and the two nuclear-armed foes engaged in their first air duel in decades.

“In the immediate aftermath of the Balakot strikes the percentage of those strongly satisfied with the government rose to a recent all-time high of 52 percent,” CVoter said, referring to the raid in Pakistan’s Balakot area.

A second poll by India TV-CNX pre-poll said Modi’s alliance would clear the halfway mark, winning 275 seats.

Modi has made his strong stance on national security a key part of the BJP’s election campaign.

On Monday, the party said it would scrap decades-old special rights for the people of Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir so as to integrate the state more closely with the rest of the country, a move the party’s base has long sought.

Political leaders in Muslim-majority Kashmir, where India is battling an armed insurgency against its rule, have warned that repealing the law could trigger unrest.

Kashmir’s special constitutional status prevents outsiders from buying property in the state, among other restrictions. 

SRINAGAR — Most nights in recent weeks, journalist Asif Qureshi’s phone vibrates with a message from a known number of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a Pakistan-based militant group that killed 40 Indian paramilitary policemen in a suicide attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama in February: “Allah always keeps you in safety and security”.

“They want to tell us that we are monitoring you,” said Qureshi, the Kashmir bureau chief for Delhi-based TV channel ABP News.

He is one of the many journalists caught in the crossfire — metaphorically and literally — between the Indian government and militant groups fighting for India-controlled Kashmir’s independence.

Both sides are making increasing attempts to control the flow of information, journalists say, after the conflict in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region claimed by both India and Pakistan, escalated dramatically over the past few months.

India blames Pakistan for harbouring JeM, a claim Islamabad denies, and both nuclear-armed nations said they carried out air strikes and downed enemy jets after the suicide attack, to the alarm of world powers.

The present situation is the most dangerous and difficult for journalists in decades, according to dozens of journalists in Kashmir Reuters spoke to in recent weeks.

In the past two years, journalists in the scenic Himalayan valley have been threatened by militants, blinded by pellet guns fired by security forces, and murdered by unknown assailants.

Many reporters say that self-censorship is often the only option to keep working safely in the region.

“We have become a punching bag for both sides,” Qureshi said.

Local pressure

Srinagar’s Press Enclave, where many newspapers and TV channels have offices, has been under armed guard since Shujaat Bukhari, the editor of several newspapers and a high-profile moderate in Kashmir, was shot dead outside his office by unknown gunmen in June 2018. No one has been charged in connection with the crime.

The physical danger they face is a major reason why India is one of the worst places in the world to be a journalist, according to international monitor Reporters Without Borders, that currently ranks it 138th out of 180 countries on its press freedom index.

Local newspapers, that rely overwhelmingly on government advertisements for revenue, are also facing increasing financial pressure.

Last month, the government stopped advertising in two of the largest newspapers, Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Reader, to protests from the Kashmir Editors’ Guild.

“We have written to the government of India for a reason, but so far they have not provided it,” said Sajjad Ansari, the vice president of the Guild and editor of the Kashmir Observer, another leading newspaper.

Editors assume it is because the papers carried stories on human rights and other material critical of the authorities.

On March 10, fifteen newspapers, making up 95 percent of all sales in Kashmir, carried blank front pages in protest at the advertising decision.

It has had little effect. On April 2, the government pulled advertising from a third paper, Kashmir Uzma, according to the Guild.

Gulzar Ahmed Shabnam, the director of information for Jammu & Kashmir state, declined to comment on the withdrawal of advertising.

“I don’t think the independent voice can survive here,” said Morifat Qadri, the editor of Aafaq, an Urdu-language newspaper, of the situation in Kashmir. “An editor either has to surrender or leave this job.”

National tension

Reporters working for national outlets like Qureshi say they are facing renewed hostility from local people, who are often sympathetic to separatist groups and resent the Indian media’s increasingly nationalist stance.

India goes to the polls on a rolling basis from 11 April to 19 May in a general election that is being dominated by the tensions with Pakistan, to the benefit of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, pollsters say.

“Everybody knows the (national) media is slanted towards the establishment right now,” Qureshi said. “Right now you have to watch your back.”

Qureshi said locals often become aggressive when they saw the ABP News badge on his equipment, recognising it as a national outlet.

His cameraman, Arshad Hussein Shah, said he has been injured more times than he can count by security forces, often in scuffles involving batons and rifle butts.

But injuries can sometimes be more serious. In 2016, freelance photographer Zohaib Butt was covering a clash between protesters and security forces.

A policeman came towards him. Butt showed the man his cameras, but he raised a shotgun loaded with metal pellets, and fired in his direction from less than 20 metres away. The photographer sustained severe eye injuries.

“For the first five seconds I was shouting like a dog,” Butt said. “It was like looking at a broken mirror.”

Butt is one of several journalists injured over the last two years by pellet guns used by the army. In January, four were hit in a similar incident.

“Sometimes the authorities go beyond their powers and I will be investigating these cases,” said Shabnam, who became the state’s director of information in February.

A spokesman for Kashmir’s police force declined to comment on Butt’s case, and on injuries to journalists generally.

After multiple rounds of surgery, Butt is still partially blind, unable to work as a photojournalist. The man who shot him has never been identified.

Hundreds of metal pellets are still lodged under his skin, and he struggles with depression.

“Sometimes when I am taking a shower I cover my eyes and think why didn’t I do it at the time,” he said. “I trusted the cop that he wouldn’t shoot.”

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea of a Congress activist seeking stay on release of biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The apex court said it was not entertaining the petition for the stay on the release of the film as the plea is “premature” because the movie has not yet been certified by the Censor Board.

It said even if the film is released on 11 April, as claimed by the Congress activist, it will be appropriate for him to seek a redressal from the Election Commission.

“We, therefore do not consider it fit to entertain the petition”, a bench comprising Chief justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said.

The apex court bench further said that the Election Commission should decide whether the biopic violates the Model Code of Conduct. 

While dismissing the plea, the top court bench also said that too much of court’s time was “wasted on a non-issue”. 

The plea, by Congress activist Aman Panwar, had sought deferment of the biopic’s release till the completion of the coming Lok Sabha polls, alleging that it was designed to “manipulate, influence and impress viewers and voters”.

Titled PM Narendra Modi, the biopic was initially slated for release on 5 April but was delayed.

The plea had also sought a direction from the court declaring that advertisement and promotion of the film during the operation of the model code of conduct violated electoral laws.

The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court had earlier rejected a plea seeking ban on the release. The Bombay High Court had also disposed of a plea seeking deferment of the biopic’s release, saying the Election Commission will deal with the issue.

(With PTI inputs)

Some celebrity couples are known for being private about their personal lives, which means dishing about their sex life is probably off the table for them.

Others, however, are refreshingly candid (sometimes overly so...) about the highs and lows of sex in a relationship. 

Read on to find out what some of your favorite couples have revealed about what happens behind bedroom doors.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend:

“John and I had a double date, and we were joking around, and I go, 'John’s never seen my butthole. And John says, ‘Are you kidding? Every time anyone does anything doggy style, you see a butthole. I see it every time.’ I was like, 'We are never doing it doggy style again.” — Teigen to Marie Claire, June 2017

Pink and Carey Hart:

“You’ll go through times when you haven’t had sex in a year. Is this bed death? Is this the end of it? Do I want him? Does he want me? Monogamy is work! But you do the work and it’s good again.” — Pink to The Guardian, October 2017 

Alana Mayo and Lena Waithe:

“I think foreplay is extremely important. It’s kind of cheesy, but my girlfriend and I live together and my schedule allows me to be at home a lot when she goes to the office. So I always make it my business to make sure the house is clean when she comes home. That’s a big part of our foreplay: making sure when she comes home that she’s in a clean house and feels really good. That’s really important. People think sex only happens when people get naked, but it really starts when your partner gets home and when you’re doing things to get them in a really sexy place.” — Waithe to Refinery29, February 2016 

 Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson:

“I am definitely feeling ‘intimate.’ I’m kind of unstoppable at the moment! Like the big ‘O’ is like the biggest ‘O’ ever.” — Simpson talking pregnancy sex on “On Air With Ryan Seacrest,” March 2012

Sting and Trudie Styler: 

“I don’t think pedestrian sex is very interesting. There’s a playfulness we have; I like the theater of sex. I like to look good. I like her to dress up. I like to dress her up.” — Sting to Harper’s Bazaar, January 2011 

Melissa Etheridge and Linda Wallem:

“The sex is better [in my 50s]! Seriously, I’m healthier, and in loving myself, I attract a different kind of person now.” — Etheridge to AARP, October/November 2014

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith: 

“When you have three kids, you’ve got to take your opportunities when they come. In a limo, on the way to the Academy Awards this year, Will started looking at me in this way that drives me wild. We started kissing passionately, and the next thing I knew, well, let’s just say we missed the red carpet and I ended up with almost no makeup on.” — Pinkett Smith to Shape, 2009 

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis: 

“The truth is, I’m not getting up an hour earlier and walking on a treadmill. I have the greatest workout partner in the world. And you don’t need a gym membership for that kind of workout.” — Sudeikis to Elle, July 2013 

Kate Upton and Justin Verlander:

“There’s no sex before a game — absolutely none. And also what I’ve just found out is that if he plays well, there’s no sex after either. He’s exhausted! Kind of a buzzkill for me.” — Upton on “Watch What Happens Live,” February 2017 

Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg:

“Without a doubt, [the sex] gets better every single time I make love to him. First of all, he has the most beautiful penis I’ve ever seen in my life.” — McCarthy on “Watch What Happens Live,” October 2014 

Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich:

“I’m really bad at [phone sex]. I’ll get halfway through and start laughing. It’s an art. I applaud people who are good at it. They need to come and help me keep a straight face!” — Hough to Cosmopolitan, February 2016

Meghan Trainor and Daryl Sabara:

“I never really felt sexy with guys before. No one expressed how they liked my body out loud in the bedroom until I met Daryl. He is obsessed with it — every inch.” — Trainor to Cosmopolitan, May 2017  

Ashley Graham and Justin Ervin:

“My husband and I don’t see each other very often, and when we are out of alignment, which with every couple, it happens, we have sex and we get back into alignment. We also communicate and we talk. That works for us. It doesn’t work for everyone. Also, when we’re having a lot of sex, we’re all over each other. And when we’re not having a lot of sex, we are kind of like, ‘Ew, get away.’ So why not in those moments that are so precious to us and we don’t get to see each other very often, why not just have sex?” — Graham to Us Weekly, January 2019 

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos:

“When he undresses me, he’s the one that coined the phrase, ‘I’m the human piñata.’ Because at the end of the night — and I don’t want to brag, but after a night with me — it’s like party favors all over the floor. I’m talking about just beauty products. There’s false eyelashes, there’s hair extensions, there’s chicken cutlets, those are on the floor. You name it.” — Ripa on “Heads and Faces,” October 2018 

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard:

“I wouldn’t say we need spicing up. We haven’t had to turn to leather accoutrements or anything. It’s still functioning quite well.” — Shepard to People, March 2019 

Sex Ed for Grown-Ups is a series tackling everything you didn’t learn about sex in school — beyond the birds and the bees. Keep checking back for more expert-based articles and personal stories.

WAYANAD — The best road to travel between Sulthan Bathery and Nilambur, the two biggest towns in Wayanad district in Kerala, passes through the Nilgiris constituency in Tamil Nadu where the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) A Raja faces a tough fight from the AIADMK-BJP candidate M Thiyagarajan.

The DMK isn’t fighting alone in Tamil Nadu—it’s part of a secular alliance that includes the Congress, CPM and CPI. The sight of the flags of all the coalition members tied together along the Gudalur and Panadalur taluks of the Nilgiris is a complete contrast to the picture in Wayanad, where Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s entry as a candidate has given new life to his party in Kerala and backed the state’s Left parties into a corner.

While Kerala’s ruling CPM and ally CPI have been attacking Gandhi and the Congress for distracting from the fight against the BJP in the state, some voters say they are perplexed by the difference in the party’s political positions in Kerala and neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

 “We are a bit confused about the ideological differences the Left parties are raising against Rahul and Congress in Wayanad. My extended family involving traditional CPI(M) sympathisers live in Gudalur and they will vote for DMK along with Congress workers this time. A little away in Coimbatore, my party’s candidate PR Natarajan is fighting BJP directly with the support of both DMK and Congress. I have many family members living there too,’’ said M Dinesh, a taxi driver from Kalpetta in Wayanad, a card-carrying communist who campaigns against Gandhi when he’s not working.

The Congress in Kerala was expected to cede some ground to the BJP after its flip-flops on the Sabarimala issue. But Gandhi’s surprise entry has rejuvenated party workers and is expected to lead to consolidation of votes behind the party.

The BJP, anyway, has nothing to lose in Kerala—it has not won a single seat in any Lok Sabha election till now and it was only in 2016 that it managed to win a lone Assembly seat.  

Instead, it is the CPM, which was praised for its handling of the devastating 2018 floods and became a darling of liberals for its tough stand on implementing the SC order on women entering Sabarimala, that is expected to lose out. From a record 43 seats in the 2004 general election, its tally had dipped to 9 in 2014. This time, say political observers, even that may be a stretch.

Crumbling citadel

The dissonance produced by the demands of electoral politics is not just in Tamil Nadu. Though Left parties are numerically weak in many parts of Karnataka, they have significant followers in both Mysore-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar constituencies, especially among Malayali migrants. In both the constituencies, Congress is fighting against the BJP with the support of Janata Dal (Secular), a party that is an alliance partner of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala.

But the situation in neighbouring states has not led to any toning down of the criticism against Rahul by the Left parties in Wayanad and other parts of Kerala, where the fight is between Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), pushing BJP to the third position.

While the Congress president said that he would not utter a single word against the CPI(M), keeping the door open for a post-poll grand alliance of the Left and secular parties, LDF leaders aren’t paying attention to these considerations. Veteran CPM leader and former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan has already resurrected his old “Amul Baby” insult for Gandhi, while the resident editor of the party mouthpiece Deshabhimanihad to backtrack after the paper called Gandhi ‘Pappu’ in an editorial.

CM Vijayan has also expressed doubts about Gandhi being able to forge a post-poll secular alliance.

TT Sreekumar, a writer and political analyst who teaches at the English and Foreign Languages University in Hyderabad, says that the last Left citadel in India, Kerala, has begun crumbling.

“Though LDF leaders are terming Rahul’s contest from Wayanad as a regressive political move weakening the national level fight against the BJP, the real concern is the possible setback the Left Front would suffer in Kerala, resulting in a total wipeout of communists from electoral politics in India,” he said.

In the 2014 election, five among the nine CPI(M) members of Lok Sabha were elected from Kerala, the rest being from Tripura and West Bengal. CPI’s sole Lok Sabha MP was from Thrissur in Kerala.

If the prevailing political condition is any indication, there are slim chances of West Bengal and Tripura electing a CPI(M) candidate. Outside Kerala, both the Left parties have hopes only from Tamil Nadu, where the DMK-Congress alliance has allocated two seats each to CPI and CPI(M).

Though Kerala is the only state where the Left is now in power, some opinion polls have suggested that the front would not fetch more than four to five seats out of the total 20 in the state.  “The Left parties are trying to get as many MPs from Kerala as possible in this election. Only then will the party have anything to bargain with in case of the formation of an anti-BJP coalition at the centre. But it seems the calculation has gone wrong with Rahul Gandhi deciding to contest from Wayanad. His candidature is giving advantage to the Congress-led UDF’s candidates in almost all of the 20 constituencies,’’ said Malayalam writer and academic MN Karassery, whose vote also falls under Wayanad constituency.

Internal issues

While the Sabarimala issue no longer occupies centrestage in Kerala (the state’s chief poll officer has said parties can’t use it for campaigns), the Left is facing challenges including antipathy towards some of its candidates. These include Vadakara’s P Jayarajan who has been named as accused in several criminal cases, Chalakudy candidate Innocent, a sitting Lok Sabha MP and former president of cinema body AMMA, who dilly-dallied after actor Dileep was accused of hiring goons to sexually assault an  actress, PV Anvar (Ponnani) who is being investigated for financial fraud and Joice George (Idukki), who faces charges of land grabbing and cheating.

“This election would make Left parties more insignificant at the national level. Lack of adequate representation even from Kerala would eclipse its chances to become a powerful force in the post-poll scenario,’’ said CK Janu, a powerful tribal leader from Wayanad who recently exited the BJP-led NDA.

The Congress is confident that Gandhi’s entry will help them tremendously.

“We will gain most of the seats in Kerala this time under Rahul’s impact and the UDF would consolidate itself to face future challenges. We will be able to retain the Rahul effect till the next assembly election. This is our reply to the Left leaders who said the Congress has no future in Kerala,’’ said Congress leader and former chief minister Oommen Chandy.

Wayanad, which became a constituency in 2009, has remained a Congress citadel since its formation. The BJP has barely any ground in the constituency, which is why it has allowed alliance partner BDJS leader Thushar Vellappally to contest from there. Vellappally seems to be using this chance to gain some national attention and bargain with the BJP leadership for a Rajya Sabha seat in the future.

PP Suneer, the CPI’s candidate from Wayanad, isn’t giving up easily.

“Will Rahul be another migratory bird which will fly away from Wayanad after securing comfortable majority in Amethi?” he asks. “People will prefer me over the guest candidate.”

Skin care routines can be tailored to address pretty much any issue, be it acne, dry skin, clogged pores or even the effects of air pollution. 

That last one might seem a little odd or gimmicky, but as it happens, anti-pollution skin care has become a growing trend in the beauty industry. Brands like Kiehl’s and Drunk Elephant have released products that claim to protect skin against pollutants in the air. 

Air pollution’s effects on our health have been studied for a long time. In terms of skin care, there is research that suggests pollution can lead to things like inflammation and premature aging, so the increasing popularity of anti-pollution beauty and skin care products isn’t a coincidence. 

“Our skin impacts what we are [absorbing] into our body. We have to protect ourselves from the outer world,” Natalya Rachkova, an aesthetician and the co-founder of The Better Skin Co., told HuffPost. We already know what we’re supposed to eat and that we should exercise and drink water, she said, “but we also have to protect ourselves from our outer environment.” 

We spoke to dermatologists to find out more about anti-pollution skin care, including what it really is and how it works to protect us.  

Before we dive into what anti-pollution skin care is, it’s important to look at how pollution actually affects the skin. 

According to Dr. Anne Chapas, a dermatologist at Union Square Laser Dermatology in New York, air pollution contains a combination of tiny particles called particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and chemicals like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. 

“The exact mechanism of how they cause skin aging is not clear, but it could include causing more oxidative damage, increasing skin inflammation, changing the skin microflora or activation of acyl hydrocarbon receptor pathways,” she said. “Whatever the mechanism, the result seems to be increased wrinkles and pigmentation.”

All those tiny particles can also penetrate and clog our pores, Dr. Devika Icecreamwala, a dermatologist based in Berkeley, California, told HuffPost. As a result, “We’re noticing how pollution [is] causing the skin to look really dull, uneven and even discolored,” she said. 

Icecreamwala also said that prolonged exposure to pollutants in the air can contribute to a breakdown of collagen. 

That’s where “anti-pollution skin care” comes in.

Anti-pollution skin care, then, is meant to “counteract the particulates in the air that lead to damaged skin,” Chapas said. 

As Icecreamwala put it, the point of using anti-pollution skin care products is to “remove those tiny micro-particles from the pores so it’s not really clogging them anymore and also protect the skin from the pollution that can penetrate the deeper layers, because that pollution can actually break down collagen.”

The goal is to make a sort of barrier between your skin and pollutants in the air, she said. 

How can we actually fight pollution with skin care products? 

According to both Icecreamwala and Chapas, antioxidants, particularly vitamin C, play a big part in protecting our skin from the effects of pollution in the air. They both suggested incorporating a vitamin C serum into your daily skin care routine.

Chapas said that vitamin C and other antioxidants help block the formation of free radicals (unstable atoms that can damage cells and potentially lead to premature aging) and “pigment pathways.” 

“Melanin blockers, such as niacinamide, are also helpful,” she said, adding, “It’s important to have an intact skin barrier by using moisturizers with ceramides and not over-treating the skin with retinol or acids.” 

Along with topical products, Icecreamwala said that it’s important to include vitamin C and other antioxidants into our diets, as they’re “going to protect our skin and bodies from inflammation.” She also said she’s a fan of exfoliating agents, like salicylic and lactic acid, for taking off “the grime from the skin and [unclogging] the pores.”

Are certain people more prone to the effects of pollution on skin? 

“The closer you live to the pollution, the more it affects you,” Chapas said, noting that, in her experience, “city dwellers seem to have more pollution-related skin damage than country dwellers.” 

Icecreamwala agreed, noting that commuters ― especially those who walk to and from work or find themselves on hot, grimy subway platforms like those in New York ― might notice the effects of pollution on their skin more so than individuals who live in more suburban or rural communities. 

Can we reverse any of the effects caused by pollution? 

Prevention is really the first step to combating the effects of pollution, but Icecreamwala noted that using antioxidants, for example, can encourage the regeneration of collagen once it’s broken down. It should be noted that no product or ingredient is magic, however.

In Chapas’ opinion, laser treatments ”offer a faster and more effective way to combat skin pigmentation and damage, [and] give the skin a healthier and younger appearance.”

And, of course, you should always be wearing sunscreen, which helps prevent additional damage caused by the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. According to Icecreamwala, protecting your skin with sunscreen ― she prefers mineral sunscreens ― helps keep collagen from degrading as well. 

Former chief justice of India Dipak Misra said on Monday that it was his “personal view” that marital rape in India should not be made a crime. 

Making marital rape an offence, said Misra, would create “absolute anarchy” in families. 

Deccan Herald quoted Misra as saying, “I don’t think that marital rape should be regarded as an offence in India, because it will create absolute anarchy in families and our country is sustaining itself because of the family platform which upholds family values.”

Misra made the remarks at a conference organised by a Bengaluru-based law school.

Deccan Herald also reported that Misra said the idea of criminalising marital rape was borrowed from other nations and did not apply to India. 

According to The Times of India, Misra made the remarks in reply to a question by a first-year LLB student: “Don’t you think the rape laws in India must be amended? Shouldn’t rape laws be made gender neutral and marital rape also be considered a crime?”

Misra, during his tenure as chief justice, had delivered several landmark judgements affecting fundamental and personal rights, including Section 377 and Aadhaar. In 2015, Misra was part of a two-judge bench that held that in a case of rape or attempt to rape, the conception of compromise would go against a woman’s “honour”. 

LiveLaw had quoted the court’s observation: 

“these are crimes against the body of a woman which is her own temple. These are offences which suffocate the breath of life and sully the reputation. And reputation, needless to emphasise, is the richest jewel one can conceive of in life. No one would allow it to be extinguished. When a human frame is defiled, the “purest treasure”, is lost. Dignity of a woman is a part of her non-perishable and immortal self and no one should ever think of painting it in clay. There cannot be a compromise or settlement as it would be against her honour which matters the most. It is sacrosanct.”

Culture and family values have often been cited as an excuse for not criminalising marital rape, and many politicians have issued insensitive remarks on the subject.

India is one of about three dozen countries that has not criminalised marital rape. 

In 2017, the Centre while responding to various petitions seeking the declaration of Section 375 (offence of rape) of the IPC as unconstitutional on the ground that it discriminated against married women, had said making marital rape a criminal offence would destabilise the the institution of marriage. 

“What may appear to be marital rape to an individual wife, it may not appear so to others. As to what constitutes marital rape and what would constitute marital non-rape needs to be defined precisely before a view on its criminalisation is taken,” it said.

CHENNAI — Filmmaker AR Murugadoss on Tuesday shared the first look of south superstar Rajinikanth from his upcoming film Darbar. 

The 44-year-old director took to Twitter to share the poster of the film, which marks his maiden collaboration with Rajinikanth.

The project, which was tentatively titled “Thalaivar 167”, also features Nayanthara as the female lead. The actor has previously worked with Rajinikanth in Kuselan, Chandramukhi and Sivaji.

“Here you go guys!!! The first look of our very own Thalaivar in #Darbar @rajinikanth @LycaProductions #nayanthara @santoshsivan @anirudhofficial #sreekarprasad #pongal2020,” Murugadoss tweeted.

By the look of the poster, which was decked up with police instruments and equipments, Rajinikanth (68) might be essaying the role of a cop. This will make the film his first cop drama in 25 years.

“You decide whether you want to be good, bad or worse,” read the punchline on the poster.

The film is backed by Lyca Productions, the banner which was also behind Rajinikanth’s science-fiction and action flick 2.0.

Anirudh Ravichander will compose the music for the movie whereas Santosh Sivan will serve as the cinematographer. Sreedhar Prasad will be editing the film.

The film recently went on floors and is expected to release on Pongal, 2020.

Internet services were suspended and a curfew imposed in Kashmir’s Kishtwar town after an attack on a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader on Tuesday, Greater Kashmir reported. 

While RSS leader Chandrakanta, was injured in the attack, his personal security officer was killed. 

Greater Kashmir quoted an unnamed official as saying that curfew had been imposed to “prevent spreading of rumours”. 

PTI reported that the unidentified assailant snatched the weapon of the security officer when Chandrakanta had gone to the hospital for a check up. 

Narrating the sequence of events, officials said the suspected militants barged into the hospital and snatched the PSO’s weapon. They attempted to fire at the RSS leader. In the ensuing scuffle, the policeman was shot dead while the RSS leader received minor injuries.

Senior police officials rushed to the scene, they said.

(With PTI inputs)

SEOUL, South Korea ― Chung Sun-hee finely crushes eggshells, dries and saves her coffee grounds, and separates large vegetable offcuts into smaller pieces. Later, the 55-year-old professional translator will bury them in her backyard, in rotating plots of earth that are given ample time to compost before being replenished. She will plant tomatoes, basil and corn in the resulting soil.

She has a raft of little tricks to make it all work: In the summer, for example, her husband dices up the rinds of every watermelon he eats in order to make the composting process faster. “When we lived in an apartment, I would throw away all my food waste into the shared collection containers,” Chung said. “But now, I compost almost all of it.”

Chung is one of a growing number of city dwellers who are getting into urban farming, not just to grow their own vegetables, but also as an exercise in waste reduction. “Reducing food waste and the urban farming movement are very closely linked,” said Chung, who completed a government-sponsored course five years ago. 

Her new habits reflect a larger change underway in South Korea’s densely populated capital, where grassroots movements and government campaigns have dramatically transformed how people dispose of their leftover food.

Once a city where unsightly and foul-smelling landfills loomed over entire neighborhoods, Seoul now operates one of the most rigorous food waste recycling programs in the world. The results have been impressive.

The South Korean government banned sending food to landfills in 2005 and, in 2013, also prohibited the dumping of garbage juice (leftover water squeezed from food waste) into the sea. Today, a staggering 95 percent of food waste is recycled ― a remarkable leap from less than 2 percent in 1995. Seoul has managed to cut the amount of food waste produced by 400 metric tons per day. 

Walk along any residential street in Seoul and you’ll see why. On Chung’s street, residents emerge at dusk to deposit small yellow bags into designated waste collection buckets.

Since 2013, South Koreans have been required by law to discard food waste in these biodegradable bags, priced according to volume and costing the average four-person family about $6 a month. By purchasing them from the local convenience store or supermarket, residents are effectively paying a tax on their food waste upfront. In Seoul, this tax pays for roughly 60 percent of the cost of collecting and processing the city’s food waste, according to government data.

It’s simple but brilliant: Not only does it offer incentives for you to reduce waste, it makes you confront it. “It made me cut down on the food I threw away a lot,”  Chung said. “Not only for economic reasons, but visually it makes you aware of how much waste you’re producing.”

This pay-as-you-waste scheme was born out of necessity. “Unlike countries where meals are one-plate dishes, South Korean food culture is centered around banchan [a variety of side dishes that accompany meals], which creates a lot of leftover food,” said Kim Mi-hwa, chair of the Korea Zero Waste Movement Network. In the late 1990s, increased standards of living, a growing appetite for dining out and the rise of one-person households fueled a steady increase in food waste. In major urban areas like Seoul, landfills had already reached a tipping point.

“The waste just wasn’t decreasing, so we campaigned the government by telling them that we’d need a radical solution,” said Kim, one of the earliest advocates of the pay-as-you-waste scheme. “Not only does South Korea have small land mass, but growing public awareness about the environment made it impossible to just add more landfills or processing plants.”

Some districts in Seoul use a more high-tech variant for apartment complexes, which has seen even better results. In large metal waste receptacles outfitted with measuring scales and a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip reader, residents can deposit their waste directly, bag-free. The machine calculates the fee by weighing the amount, and residents pay by swiping a card in front of the scanner.

“Over the last six years, we reduced a total of about 47,000 tons of food waste [with the RFID machines],” said Lee Kang-soo, head of the local government-run food recycling program in Seoul’s Songpa District. “We assume it’s because people want to pay less money, since the cost increases with the weight.”

The chief benefit of the RFID machine is that it encourages residents to remove any moisture ― which accounts for about 80 percent of food waste ― before tossing it in the machine, saving on collection costs. In Songpa District alone, according to Lee, the machines have saved 9.6 billion won (about $8.4 million) in logistical expenses.

Seoul is in the process of making sure all food waste eventually becomes a resource, such as fertilizer for growing food. The city handles about 60 percent of the food waste, while private contractors pick up the rest. Once collected, the waste is shipped off to processing plants, where the yellow bags are stripped off and the food slurry is squeezed to remove any liquids. A giant churn picks out any hard foreign objects, such as errant utensils, before the sludge is heat-treated and pulverized.

The resulting powder is converted into either animal feed or fertilizer. Meanwhile, the liquid squeezed from the waste is fermented into biogas or bio-oil, which can be used as fuel for boilers and other industrial appliances.

Tapping into an urban farming boom, the city has recently announced plans to furnish a number of apartment complexes with large-scale food waste processors to create fertilizer for their gardens.

“I think there needs to be a perception that discarded food isn’t ‘garbage,’ but simply food that we couldn’t finish,” Lee said. “Only with this attitude can these ‘resource-ification’ policies work.”

Despite the program’s success, the need to continue reducing food waste remains stark. Seoul’s food waste processing centers have recently reported large amounts of dry fertilizer stacking up unused ― an indication that there is still too much waste being created.

While the government has announced legislation to qualify food waste fertilizer as organic in order to expand its uses, experts, government officials and activists alike stress the need for more fundamental measures that reduce food waste at the source.

“There’s a limit to how much food waste fertilizer can actually be used,” Kim said. “This means there has to be a change in our dining habits, such as shifting to a one-plate culinary culture like other countries, or at least reducing the amount of banchan that we lay out.”

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When you accomplish something amazing ― like earning a promotion, finishing a yearslong passion project or finally paying off your credit card ― you’d think a burst of happiness would be followed by relief. Maybe even a dash of relaxation. Right?

Not for everyone. It’s actually not unusual to feel more anxious following good news or hard-earned success than you do when you’re putting out fires or working hard.

“Anxiety can be a bit tricky, as it’s a primitive response that’s hard-wired into the brain,” said Carla Marie Manly, a California-based clinical psychologist and author of “Joy From Fear.” “The brain’s fear circuit works very quickly, and it doesn’t always pause to differentiate between good anxiety and bad.”

So, when something good happens, the physical symptoms you feel are similar to those that you associate with panic or fear, Manly said.

But even when you are able to distinguish between feelings of excitement (good stress) and panic (bad stress) following a dose of success, the climb down from Mount Euphoria can be an anxiety trigger in itself. When your body becomes accustomed to a chronic state of anxiety, the positive physiological changes that happen after good news can, paradoxically, trigger the sense that something isn’t right ― simply because you’re not used to feeling good. As a result, your body never fully lets go of its hypervigilant state, Manly said.

This reaction may also be exacerbated by an underlying belief that the good event will probably be followed by something bad ― perhaps because in your past, bad things that have happened to you often transpired when you were doing well or things were relatively calm, said Jo Eckler, a Texas-based licensed clinical psychologist and author of “I Can’t Fix You — Because You’re Not Broken.” Instead of enjoying the moment, you spend that time waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Anxiety can increase when good things happen for many other reasons too, like growing up in a family where success was met with resentment, ongoing experiences of losing things soon after you got them or feeling like a target once you have something to lose.

“We learn so much as children that we don’t even realize at the time,” Eckler said.

Fortunately, this is a learned way of thinking that can be managed. If your anxiety doesn’t seem to understand that it can clock out when things are going well, here are some expert-recommended mental exercises that can help:

Acknowledge that your anxiety is getting triggered

The first step to managing or eliminating your anxiety around good outcomes is firmly acknowledging that it happens in the first place.

“Once you come to notice that you’re triggered by good things, the element of surprise or avoidance is diminished or replaced by an attitude of acceptance,” Manly said.

You can further diffuse the situation by reminding yourself that what you’re feeling isn’t the same as fear-based anxiety ― it’s a sign that something amazing is happening, and you deserve to enjoy it. Heads up, though: It might take some time for this mode of thinking to become a natural reaction.

“It’s natural for the psyche to want to go back to old thought patterns, so this new one will take time and patience to become hard-wired into the brain,” Manly said.

Allow yourself to feel your anxiety

Instead of fighting the feeling of impending doom, dive into it just long enough to map out exactly what you would do if the worst-case scenario were to happen. So, for example, if you just got a stellar promotion and you’re anxious that others won’t be receptive or happy for you, think about how you’d talk to them about it or how you’d handle that situation if it happens.

“When we allow anxiety to fuel solutions, it tends to go away,” said Alicia Clark, a Washington-based licensed clinical psychologist and author of “Hack Your Anxiety.” Quickly putting a strategy together can give your worries the outlet they need to subside.

Slow down for a moment

When your body’s alarm system is activated, slowing down can signal your nervous system to chill out, Eckler said. For example, letting your eyes slowly roam around and notice hyperspecific details about your surroundings ― think the color of the chair you’re sitting in and the sounds you hear outside ― counteracts the tendency for our gaze to freeze when you’re on high alert. Gentle, slow movements of the body and deep breathing can help with this as well.

Expect — and take in — the good

Being more open to positive outcomes can reduce the likelihood that good things will feel like a mistake to your brain and trigger anxiety, said Anna Kress, a New Jersey-based clinical psychologist.

To put this into practice, spend a few seconds at a time truly savoring a good experience when it happens. It doesn’t have to be something monumental; it can be the softness of your pillow after a long day, the warmth of a shower or the flavor of your favorite cocktail. Each time you do this, you train your brain to experience positive emotions more easily.

Talk to someone

If you struggle with worry or pessimism and find it difficult to expect good outcomes (or are immediately suspicious of them), therapy can be helpful, Kress said. A therapist can not only help you get to the core of why experiencing joy is such a grind for you but teach you strategies that increase your tolerance for all emotions.

“Can your first vote be dedicated to those who carried out the air strike,” Modi said, appealing to first-time voters at a poll rally here in Latur district of Maharashtra.

“I want to tell the first-time voters: can your first vote be dedicated to the veer jawans (valiant soldiers) who carried out the air strike in Pakistan).

“Can your first vote be dedicated to the veer shaheed (brave martyrs) of Pulwama (terror attack),” Modi said.

The PM said the first-time voters should remember that their first vote is something which they will remember for the rest of their lives. “You will always remember to whom did you vote and in which election,” Modi said.

“Can your first vote be dedicated to (the cause of) providing pucca houses to the poor. Should not your first vote go for providing water in farms of farmers,” he said.

“Should not you vote for ‘healthcare for all’ and the Ayushman Bharat scheme,” Modi said.

Stepping up his attack on the Congress, Modi said had its leaders acted wisely, Pakistan would not have been created.

Pakistan would not have been born in 1947 had Congress leaders acted wisely in the pre-Independence era, Modi said.

The Congress party’s manifesto speaks the same language as that of Pakistan, he added.

Referring to National Conference leader Omar Abdullah’s remark, Modi accused the Congress and its ally NCP of standing with those who want a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir.

Hitting out at NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Modi wondered if it behoved the Maratha strongman to join forces with the parties holding such a view.

Under the BJP’s watch it is the policy of ‘New India’ that it will kill terrorists by barging into their dens, he said.

Modi said the opposition parties were questioning the valour of the security forces after the Pulwama terror attack and the air strike in Balakot.

Attacking the Congress, the prime minister alleged that corruption was the only activity which the party does “with honesty” after coming to power.

“You must have seen how boxes full of currency notes are being recovered from the houses of Congress courtiers.

Buying votes shows their political culture. They are saying for the last six months that the watchman is a thief but from where have the notes come out and who is the real thief?,” Modi said.

Modi’s remarks came after the recent income tax raids at several locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the prime minister using the ‘chowkidar chor hai’ phrase, alleging corruption in the Rafale deal.

He said the Congress wants to take back the special powers given to armed forces. “Pakistan too wants the same thing so that terrorists have a free run. The Congress has said it wants to do away with the sedition laws. Pakistan too wants this. It wants free hand for those who want to work against India,” he added.

“Those who talk such things, can you trust these people? Can these people safeguard the country,” Modi said.

Modi hailed the BJP manifesto, released in Delhi Monday, and said the party is committed to national security and farmers’ welfare.

“Your trust is my biggest accomplishment in the last five years,” Modi told the crowd.

He also said his objective is to rid India of naxal and Maoist menace.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray also attended the rally.

Modi referred to Thackeray as his “younger brother” and eulogised Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, whom he lauded for not occupying the chief minister’s post and not installing Uddhav, his son, either in that chair.

Parties like the Congress who encourage dynastic rule should learn from Balasahab (on this aspect), he said.

Addressing the poll rally with Modi, their first since the Shiv Sena and BJP announced their tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, Uddhav Thackeray asked the PM to deal Pakistan such a blow that nothing remains of it to mess with India.

He also welcomed the BJP’s manifesto.

Modi reached the rally stage at this town in Latur district of Maharashtra holding hands with Thackeray. Both the leaders were later garlanded together with a large garland.

Kerala Police on Tuesday filed its chargesheet against Bishop Franco Mulakkal who is accused of raping a nun multiple times, reports said.

According to theNew York Times, Mulakkal has been charged with raping a nun nine times over a two-year period beginning in 2014.

The chargesheet, which has more than 100 pages, was submitted before the Pala Sessions Court in Kottayam, Kerala, The NewsMinute reported. 

The chargesheet includes statements from 84 witnesses, including the Archbishop George Alencherry, 11 priests and 24 nuns, TNM reported.

Mulakkal has been charged under section 342 (wrongful confinement), 376 (2) (K) (being in a position of control over a woman and committing rape), 376 (C) (I) (sexual intercourse by a person in authority] and 377/506 (1) (carnal intercourse against the order of nature with the victim without consent and criminally intimidated the victim by extending threats) of the Indian Penal Code.

Save Our Sisters, a forum that held protests against the bishop, said the filing of charges entered “the annals of history as a rarest of rare incident, when a bishop is going to face trial in a court based on the complaint of a nun who is a subordinate to him,” the New York Times reported.

“After months of struggle, we are very happy that this is finally happening. This is proof that God is with us and truth will prevail,” Sister Anupama, one of the protesting nuns, told News18 after the chargesheet was filed.

JAMUI, Bihar — Chirag Paswan, son and heir of Ramvilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, wants one thing to be clear: He is very very pro-reservation, he is very very upset by reports of atrocities against Dalits. But he is also very very much part in alliance with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), whose state governments have been accused of turning a blind eye to precisely such atrocities in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

In Maharashtra, where Chirag attempted a brief and ultimately abortive career as a filmstar, the BJP-led state government has sought to associate Dalit assertion movements in Bhima Koregaon with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) while giving a free pass to those accused of attacking Dalit protestors.

But an election campaign is perhaps not the time to split hairs over ideology, but to travel  across Jamui where Chirag — who is young, tall, good-looking, and fortunate to be the son of a politician who has sided with the winning party in Delhi in every election since 1989, barring a brief interregnum in the Rao years — is standing for re-election.

“When I came here I was a youngster but I want to stay here until I grow old,” he said on a quick selfie-stop with a group of adoring students.   

“The outcome of this seat is clear. Chirag will win hands down,” said Kishor Kesari, a shopkeeper in Jamui’s Maharajganj market, ran up to Chirag to garland him.

Manoj Pandey, a lawyer, explains the political and social arithmetic of this seat and how despite being a Dalit, the upper caste here would vote for him.

“Chirag will win easily. The complete Savarna votes will go to him as he has BJP’s support. Dalits will naturally support him,” said  Pandey. “Yadavs won’t vote for him but a chunk of Muslims would come to him as the Paswans have smartly maintained a secular tag.”

Yet he faces a formidable opponent in Bhudeo Chaudhary who is running on a ticket from the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party with the support of the grand opposition alliance that includes the Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janta Dal.

Over the past few weeks, a parade of his father’s high-powered friends including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh have addressed rallies in Jamui to bolster Chirag’s challenges.

In interviews, it is apparent why Bollywood is — in many ways — a natural fit for the children of politicians: both industries seem well suited to unapologetic nepotism dressed up as a merit and hardwork.

“Chirag is an elected MP so it won’t be fair to call his elevation as nepotism,” insisted Rajesh Vishwakarma, the general secretary of the LJP. “He first went to people, contested an election and won. The people of Bihar made him an elected leader first.”

Yet at times, the mask slips.

“Paswanji has made it clear that Chirag will take all the party decisions from now on and everyone in the LJP will follow our leader’s decision as his word is a bible to us,” said LJP’s Bihar unit vice president Ambika Prasad Binu, sounding not unlike a junior producer extolling the virtues of his boss.

In this election, the LJP is contesting six of Bihar’s 40 seats. Three of these six seats will be contested by Chirag and his two uncles — a fact Chirag accepts with a star-child’s faux-humility.

“I very humbly accept that. Yes, it is there. Three family members are contesting out of six seats,” Chirag told HuffPost India. “I don’t know how to deal with it when the public only demands that the family members should come and contest. And then there are charges of dynasty politics.”

At a time when other political parties in Bihar like Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) are clearly witnessing internal struggle with the rise of Tejashwi Yadav and Prashant Kishore in the party hierarchy, the generational transition in the LJP was so smooth that it almost went unnoticed.

There are, of course, party workers who still hanker for the senior Paswan.

“Ram Vilas Paswan is extremely accessible. You can walk into his house or office and meet him directly,” said an LJP district president, speaking of Chirag’s father. “Chirag roams around in SUVs and stays in big hotels. He has also got this elitist outlook like a hero.”

But the party has largely come around to accepting Chirag.

“This generational shift is natural. A politician can’t be around all the time and Paswanji is also aging now. The way Rahul, Akhilesh, and Tejashwi took over, Chirag has also been declared our leader now,” Binu, the LJP’s vice president said.

“Even in father-owned company, a son takes over, the workers of that company start saying that the father was better, liberal and accessible. The younger one isn’t doing so,” Chirag conceded. “But the younger lot which is connected to the young leadership thinks differently.  Things have settled down to a great extent now.”

The LJP may be a small party, but it punches well above its weight with six MPs, and a minister each in the central government and the state governments of Bihar and Manipur.  These successes are largely down to senior Paswan’s political acuity which, Chirag’s supporters say, the son has inherited.

The decision to join the BJP, they claim, was Chirag’s idea.

“Chirag has groomed himself nicely. He doesn’t talk much but whenever he talks he talks sensibly. He grasps the subject well. He was the one who brought his father to the NDA fold,” said Dr.Sunil Kumar, of the Janta Dal (United).

Now as the NDA’s tenure comes to a close, the senior Paswan was apparently reconsidering his support for the alliance but was convinced by Chirag once more.

“He takes swift decisions. There were times when even his father was hesitant about some things but this boy is confident as to what he wants to do and that has helped the party, said Daulat Rahi, a LJP general secretary. “He is a good speaker and politics is in his blood.”

The LJP’s leadership transition may have been smooth, but the party’s long term prospects will be apparent only once the results come in on May 23.

Veteran Kerala politician and former state finance minister KM Mani died on Tuesday at a private hospital in Kochi.

The 86-year-old had been undergoing treatment for chest infection at Lakeshore hospital in the city. 

Mani suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He had been undergoing treatment at the hospital since Sunday. According to Mathrubhumi, he was undergoing dialysis after a detailed checkup showed that his kidneys were damaged.

The veteran politician had been an MLA from Pala assembly constituency in Kottayam for 50 consecutive years and was the longest-serving member of the Kerala legislative assembly.

Mani had not been seen on the election campaign trail due to frequent hospitalisation.

His party Kerala Congress (M) is a key ally of the Congress-led UDF in the state.

As the state’s finance minister, Mani had presented 13 budgets, Malayala Manorama said. Mani had also held portfolios like Revenue, Law, Irrigation, Home and Finance. 

Mani was the only politician to be elected from the same constituency for 13 consecutive elections, reported The NewsMinute.

He is survived by his wife Kuttiyamma, son Jose K Mani, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, and daughters Elsa, Annie , Sally, Tessy and Smitha.

JAMMU — An RSS leader and his security guard were killed on Tuesday when a militant opened fire at a health centre in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar town, prompting authorities to impose curfew and call the army to maintain law and order in the communally sensitive region, officials said.

The incident took place at 12.30 pm when a militant barged into the health centre and started firing at the RSS leader, Chandrakanta Sharma, they said.

Sharma and his personal security officer Rajinder had gone to a health centre in Kishtwar. “The militant was watching his movement and opened fire, resulting in the death of the PSO and injury to the leader,” Kishtwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shakti Pathak told PTI.

Sharma was moved to Jammu by air for treatment but died in hospital, officials said.

The Army was called to maintain law and order in Jammu region’s Kishtwar and Bhaderwah districts.

The state administration imposed curfew in Kishtwar and neighbouring Bhaderwah and also snapped Internet connection in the area, officials said.

Inspector General (Jammu region) Manish Sinha said curfew was imposed as a precautionary measure.

After the attack, the militant took away Rajender’s weapon and fled from the spot, he said, recapping events of the afternoon.

Earlier, police had said unidentified gunmen snatched the PSO’s rifle and shot at the RSS leader.

Following the attack, protests broke out in Kishtwar town against the government and police.

On November 1, BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were gunned down in firing by terrorists.

New Delhi— At a press conference on Tuesday, Congress leader and former Law Minister Kapil Sibal played a video purportedly showing an illicit currency exchange of Rs 500 notes for new Rs 2,000 notes by an official of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), two months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation in November 2016.

The video appears to be a ‘sting operation’ and is published on a little known website www.tnn.world

HuffPost India has been unable to independently verify the authenticity of the videos screened by Sibal at his press conference.

The video, Sibal claimed, illustrated that this illicit currency exchange occurred at the behest of senior BJP leaders. This proved, Sibal said, that demonetisation was the “biggest scam in the history of Hindustan”.

Sibal called on the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate the suggestions of wrongdoing in the video and to arrest those involved in the currency exchange.  

Sibal’s press conference comes a day after the Income Tax department said it had detected a “widespread and well-organised” racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore during raids against close aides of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others.

HuffPost India spoke with Sibal after the press conference.

What is the information that you have gathered and what does it say about the ruling party?

The information that we have shown on video is that after December 31, 2016, there were huge exchanges taking place right up to 2018 of conversion of cash into 2,000 rupee notes. 500 rupee into 2,000 rupee notes. And allegedly a RAW officer was involved.

His name is also given. Banks were involved, IndusInd Bank, the branch manager’s name is given. And other people were involved. This can’t be happening without the collaboration of people who were carrying the treasury notes.

The kind of commission that people took in the process was 16-40%. So for every transaction if you get 15-40% which is, part of it goes to the BJP, you can imagine the kind of money that these people made. Which is why it’s perhaps the biggest scam in the history of India.

This is just one field assistant. There are 26 others; 22 men and four women. Doing the same thing all over the country.

Who were these men and women?

I don’t know. If this is a field assistant to do this exchange appointed by the Government of India, who is a law officer, then it can’t be done by individuals who are strangers to the government. He himself is saying this.  

What does this mean?

It was an enterprise to earn money for the BJP from exchange of currency.

Are you accusing BJP President Amit Shah of being involved in this?

I am not accusing anybody. This is what the tape says. If somebody says this and he is showing this on video, and the individuals are identified, bankers are identified, one transaction is happening in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation’s godown. He says there are much larger godowns in Gujarat where all this is done. There are no CCTV cameras and anybody can do what anybody wants. And the other day when I showed it with other opposition leaders, what was happening in Gujarat was this wall of money of 2,000 rupee notes. How could it have happened without complicity? That has to be investigated. So FIR, arrest immediately, but they will not do it.

So what is your demand as an opposition politician?

I have already said so, if you have listened to my press conference.

But you are not individually accusing anyone of wrongdoing?

How can I individually accuse? I have no personal knowledge of it.

You are presenting this video after corroborating some information in it?

There’s a website which has all this. In the public domain. This can’t be enacted, right? This is not some act in a theatre.

But how can one believe the assertions made in the video?

If you don’t believe it, don’t believe it. If it’s true, it’s a heinous offence.

Here’s my question: the very fact that you presented this in an open press conference means that you believe it to some extent, if not entirely―(interrupted)

It is my duty if something comes in the public domain to present it. It is my duty. It is the duty of any political party, right? To present it and tell the people of India what seems to be happening. And therefore somebody should take action.

And that somebody is the agencies.

Naturally.

A group of suspected Maoists attacked a convoy of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers in Dantewada district of south Chhattisgarh on Tuesday evening, killing MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel.

Mandavi had initially been reported missing.

The attack took place near Nakulnar town of Dantewada.

The Maoists reportedly triggered an IED blast targeting vehicles in this convoy.

 The attack comes just two days before the first phase of general election, which includes three constituencies in Chhattisgarh.

Mandavi was the only BJP MLA in Maoist insurgency-hit Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

In the assembly elections last year, 11 out of total 12 seats in Bastar went to the Congress.

Mandavi had defeated Salwa Judum founder Mahendra Karma’s wife Devati Karma from Dantewada assembly segment. 

When you’re looking for a partner, what boxes do they have to tick? Maybe you want someone smart and funny – someone you could take home to dinner with your parents. Perhaps you hope for a man or woman who wants kids, and doesn’t smoke. But where do you stand when it comes to their height?

TV host Richard Osman, from ‘Pointless’, who is 6ft 7, recently started dating jazz singer Sumudu Jayatilaka, who, at 5ft, is 19 inches shorter. Does this mean anything other than Jayatilaka needs to learn to start standing on her tip toes?  They’re not the only celebrity couple to make headlines for their height gaps: Sophie Dahl and Jamie Cullum; Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise; Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni have also bridged the gap.

Anyone who’s used a dating app will know that in the modern world, height matters. On Tinder and Bumble, it’s often listed prominently on people’s profiles – particularly by heterosexual men. But, is worrying about height a superficial concern or is it harder to make that connections if you feel out of proportion? 

[Read More: Should you have sex with your ex? Science says yes, relationship experts say no]

Kyle Sowden, 23 and 5′11, from Manchester, lied about his height on Tinder. “I noticed that I got more matches when I had 6ft written in my bio rather than when I had 5′11,” he says. “But when going on dates with people, not one person noticed or even mentioned that I wasn’t 6ft.”

Without that immediate face-to-face connection (or neck-crick), Sowden says apps allow users to be “picky” and “shallow” – just by writing what he thought women wanted, it made a difference to him getting a date. And given how fickle ‘swiping’ culture is, he doesn’t think it’s surprising men feel pressure to tweak their height when looking to connect with women.

Simon Farrant, 32, agrees, saying he finds women on dating apps really do care about men being tall. “They seem particularly obsessed by height, the taller the better,” he says. “I found it very strange to be asked that question so regularly.”

Ellie Lees had the opposite problem – a man lied about being shorter than he actually was. “He said he was 6′3, he was 6′7,” she says. “I am 5′2 and couldn’t cope, I bailed at the earliest opportunity.” Lees’ date may have lied ‘down’ not ‘up’, but it reinforces Sowden’s point that some people feel the need to tweak the truth in order to secure a date – and being hidden behind a screen allows them to do so. 

Height can’t help but influence people’s choices once they meet IRL, says Shannon Murray, 42, from Dublin. Murray is 6ft tall and uses a wheelchair. Even though she’s sitting down, it still makes a difference to her if a man is short. 

“I’ve dated much shorter guys but I felt gargantuan and uncomfortable, it’s not them it’s me,” Murray says. Her ideal height in a partner is between 5′9 and 6′2. “Above that is too tall for leaning in to my wheelchair,” she says.

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Eleanor Janegar, 36, who is 6′1, doesn’t mind being taller, but says men feel “emasculated” in her presence. “The term ‘intimidating’ gets thrown around very quickly,” she says. “I have had men who said they were 6ft cancel on dates when finding out my height, even when I told them that wasn’t an issue for me.

“A lot of shorter men also simply don’t consider it an option. I don’t really mind in that most people are shorter than me anyway, so it doesn’t register with me.”

Janegar says she’s also had the issue of men “fetishising” her height and asking sexually inappropriate questions. “I think it comes down to societal gender expectations,” she says. “I have heard a lot of women say they don’t want to feel larger than a man because it makes them less feminine.

“I think it works the opposite way for straight men: the idea that a woman who is taller calls their masculinity into question.”

Height isn’t an issue for everyone. Lucy Taylor, who is 5′8, says it would never bother her when dating other women. “When I first started getting with women it was quite strange to usually be the taller one,” she says. “I don’t date men anymore but when I did, I never understood the fascination with tall men and preferred to date men of a similar height to me.”

Hester Grainger, 41, from Reading, founder of Mumala Club, is 4′11 and her husband is 6′1 – she also says it’s never been an issue for them. “People do comment on how short I am, especially some taller friends,” she says. “I don’t think about how short I am but then I see photos of me with other people and see the height difference.”

And Laura Catchpole says she and her husband are a foot apart and completely happy. “For us it doesn’t really matter, there is nothing that person can do about it, so it’s a bit mean to hold it against them.

“I’m more interested in what is in his head than how far away it is.”