The Duke of Cambridge is “absolutely thrilled” about the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son – and can’t wait to meet him. 

Prince William’s comments come a day after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcomed a baby boy – at 5.26am on Monday 6 May, weighing 7lb 3oz.

The Duke said he was “looking forward to seeing them in the next few days when things have quietened down”, adding: “I’m very pleased and glad to welcome my own brother into the sleep deprivation society that is parenting.”

Prince William was with wife Kate in Greenwich, London, today, at a tour of the Cutty Sark to promote its annual charity regatta this summer. 

Grandfather of four Prince Charles also shared his excitement about meeting the royal baby as he touched down in Berlin on Tuesday.

He and his wife Camilla were greeted by Chancellor Angela Merkel and congratulated on the birth of Charles’ fourth grandchild.

“We couldn’t be more delighted at the news and we’re looking forward to meeting the baby when we return,” the Prince said during his visit. 

The official announcement of the royal baby noted the royal family’s happiness at the news. “The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Earl Spencer have been informed and are delighted with the news,” read the statement on Twitter.

Meanwhile Meghan’s mum is also by her daughter’s side in Windsor. “The Duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland, who is overjoyed by the arrival of her first grandchild, is with Their Royal Highnesses at Frogmore Cottage.”

All eyes (yes, including all seven of Ezra Miller’s) were on the Met Gala red carpet Monday night as stars showed up in high camp for the annual fashion extravaganza. 

But we really should be paying attention to the Met Gala bathroom situation, because that’s where a random assortment of celebrities have historically co-mingled for a banned selfie ― we’re looking at you, Kylie Jenner ― or even a cigarette break. 

Enter Katy Perry, who at the beginning of the night outshined the competition in a sparkly silver Moschino dress adorned with three tiers of electric candles for a full-blown chandelier moment. 

The headdress alone reportedly weighed 40 pounds, so after lighting up the carpet, Perry slipped into something a bit more sensible: a giant, glittery hamburger costume. 

The “Witness” singer was seen later in the night sporting a lettuce mini-dress that served as part of the filling ― alongside some impressive cheese, tomato and pickle detail ― for the burger. She also had a toothpick fashioned on the top of her head. 

Getting into the get-up took some coordination, and Perry’s friend shared a video of her shimmying into it.  

That’s when a hilariously nonchalant Jennifer Lopez, who stunned in a silver fringe dress and matching headpiece, walked into the bathroom where Perry was getting dressed. 

Lopez is no stranger to an outlandish look, so she just offered a “Hey, babe!” to the group before going about her business like a true icon. 

Now that’s camp. 

CHANDIGARH— When Manjit Sandhu, a jail warden in the Punjab Police married her girlfriend Seerat, a former prisoner under her charge, in July 2017, homosexuality was still a punishable offence in India.

That changed last year in September 2018, when the Indian Supreme Court decriminalised gay sex. Now Manjit and Seerat want to travel abroad for a much-delayed honeymoon to Canada — only to find that Indian officialdom is not ready to accord LGBTQ couples many of the rights that heteronormative citizens take for granted.

A honeymoon might seem like an indulgence — which it isn’t — but it offers a window into why LGBTQ activists are determined to build on their victory from last year. 

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A long established history of Punjabis like the Sandhus seeking to travel abroad in search of work has resulted in a deep-rooted suspicion amongst visa authorities.

While Manjit is 48 years old and has a government job, making her less of an immigration threat in the eyes of visa authorities, Seerat is only 22, with few assets of her own.

“It is very difficult to get a visa for Seerat as she is 22 years and does not have a job,” Manjit said. “Also, we do not have much property on our name. All we want to travel  to Canada for a week but can’t.”

For heterosexual couples in India, it is often easier to get a visa if they can prove they are married. But India does not recognise gay marriage.

“The passport officials have asked to submit our marriage registration certificate to include my name in her passport,” Manjit said.  “But the marriage office at Jalandhar has refused to register our marriage.”

Love and paperwork

The problem with Seerat and Manjit’s paperwork goes much beyond just her passport. As a government employee, Manjit is entitled to include her spouse on her life and health insurance policies and as a nominee on her pension fund.

Yet, these provisions do not apply to same-sex couples, neither do laws of inheritance of property.

“There has been a huge change in the common man’s perception towards our relationship after the SC’s historic verdict on section 377,” said Manjit, referring to the section of the Indian penal code that criminalised gay sex until it was struck down. “But the government seems to have been sleeping over the issue. I cannot even pronounce Seerat as my wife  or declare her my official nominee.”

Supreme Court lawyer Anand Grover said the couple would probably have to approach the courts to gain legal recognition.

“Subject to seeing their (Manjeet and Seerat Sandhu) documents of “marriage”  in order to get legal recognition of their marriage they will have to initiate litigation,” said Grover.

Meanwhile, a 2012 Punjab state law requiring that all couples mandatorily register their weddings in with the state has created an added complication. Until this law was passed, couples of a particular religion could obtain marriage certificates from their particular religious authority. 

Now, Manjit and Seerat’s wedding has the local authorities in a fix.

“We are yet to ascertain as to under which act we can register their marriage,” said Jasbir Singh, the Additional deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar. “While there is no separate provision to register such marriages, we have sough a legal opinion to register their marriage under Compulsory Registration of Marriage Act.”

Meanwhile at the Passport Office at Chandigarh, Regional Officer Sibash Kabiraj said his office was yet to confront such a case. 

“We haven’t faced any such case as of now. Also, there is no specific directions issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to deal with such cases. Only when we receive such case, we will seek an opinion from it,” said Kabiraj.

HuffPost India has written to  Harmanbir Singh Gill, Regional Passport Officer at Jalandhar and will update the report if receive a reply. 

Manjit and Seerat continue to have their hearts set on visiting Canada.

Not missing a beat, Sophie Turner commented on the post in character as Sansa and wrote: 

Ah, you Jonas family members keep us on our toes.

VARANASI, Uttar Pradesh — “Don’t look at the toilets,” Tej Bahadur Yadav said, while showing this reporter around the tin-roofed warehouse from where he is running his campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi.  

It was past ten in the night, and the former Border Security Force (BSF) jawan had just returned from a long day of campaigning for Shalini Yadav, the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance candidate in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bastion.

He glanced at his dinner—potato curry, rotis and onions—walked past the thin pinstriped mattress where he sleeps, and headed for the plastic chairs at the far end of the warehouse.

If it weren’t for the Election Commission (EC) rejecting his nomination papers at the last minute, this was the base camp from which Yadav had hoped to put up a spirited campaign against Modi as the SP-BSP alliance candidate. Instead, he is campaigning for the alliance in eastern UP, which heads to the polls over the next two weeks, while he waits for the Supreme Court to decide on his plea challenging the EC’s decision.

The EC has said that Yadav did not furnish the required paperwork regarding his dismissal on grounds of indiscipline.

“If I was in the BJP, I would be running no matter what crime I had committed. If I had not challenged PM Modi, I would be running,” said the soft-spoken man dressed in army fatigues, sitting ramrod straight on a chair.

The 43-year-old believes he was prevented from contesting the election because he had challenged Modi in his constituency, Varanasi, and posed a threat to the PM’s image as an ally of the Army.

While the chances of Yadav winning against the BJP’s biggest leader were slim to none, the optics of a former soldier challenging Modi would have reflected unfavourably on the image-conscious PM, who has projected himself as a strongman highly regarded by jawans hailing from India’s poor families.

While the Election Commission has asked political parties not to use the achievements of defence forces in their campaign, Modi has been pretending that he didn’t get the message. His speeches, which often operate as dog whistles to his Hindu nationalist support base, incorporate a mix of minority-baiting, Pakistan-bashing and fear-mongering. He has asked first-time voters to “dedicate” their vote to the Air force officers who carried out the Balakot air strikes, and often speaks of giving a “free hand” to security forces.

At a rally in Udaipur, he played upon a dialogue from the hypernationalist Uri to suggest that he would personally enter the enemy’s stronghold to finish them. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and BJP president Amit Shah have referred to “Modi ki Sena” and “his Air Force” in their speeches.  

“How can the Prime Minister say these things? The security forces are not PM Modi’s to give a ‘free hand’,” said Yadav, who claims that he decided to take on the PM after the attack in Pulwama that killed over 40 jawans.

“I do not like how PM Modi is speaking about the Army to score political points. The politics over the Pulwama attack is insulting to the Army and to the nation,” he said. “That is why I decided to run against Modi.”

Though Varanasi has been a BJP bastion since 1991, Yadav had still hoped for a miracle.

When his supporters cited the example of Raj Narain, who beat Indira Gandhi in her stronghold of Rae Bareilly in 1977, Yadav said, “Anything can happen.”

Then, in a more muted tone, he added, “Win or lose, I wanted a chance to fight, to put up a tough fight, but even that was taken away from me.”

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‘Nothing to lose’

Yadav first made headlines in January 2017 when he posted videos of the watery dal and “burnt” rotis served to the 29th Battalion of the BSF. He was dismissed three months later, a decision he tried to contest legally by claiming that his colleagues uploaded the video on Facebook.

The 14-15 hours that he spends campaigning, he said, doesn’t affect him at all. He did, after all, spend his days standing knee-deep in snow when he was in the BSF. The only difference, he said matter-of-factly, is the “heat of Varanasi” versus the “cold of the mountains”.

A cooler, which had arrived earlier that day, provided some respite from the 43 degrees Celsius heat convulsing the city.

A farmer, his supporters said, had dropped off the sack of potatoes which had been used to make dinner for the night.

“People know me here. They know my story. I was surprised, but people know that it is poor people like us who enlist as jawans, guard the border, not the sons and daughters of the rich and powerful,” he said.

While announcing that he was going to Varanasi to fight the election as an independent candidate, Yadav, in a Facebook post, appealed for a place to stay, a vehicle and donations.

The Haryana native said that his dismissal from the BSF had left him with no money and no pension.  

The class 12 graduate had tried to find a job as a security guard after he was dismissed, but failed. His small patch of land in Mahendragarh, where he grows wheat and mustard, fetches around Rs. 10,000-12,000, a year. His wife, who works in a private company in Rewari, earns around Rs. 20,000 a month.

In Varanasi, Mohan Prasad, who sells building material, offered Yadav a place to stay: his warehouse, used for storing cement and bricks.

When the former jawan arrived in Varanasi, he was joined by around 250 compatriots who were either retired or dismissed from service. Their collective demand was that the law governing “men in uniform” is a British legacy, dating back to 1911, and in urgent need of reform.

After the Congress announced that its candidate would be Alok Rai, not Priyanka Gandhi, the SP-BSP alliance announced that they would back Yadav.

While the SP has provided him with a vehicle and chips in with the groceries, Yadav is still living at the warehouse.

“Let me tell you about myself. I was sacked from my job for pointing out corruption in the armed forces. I have no money and no pension. I’m very poor. My wife works as an operator in a private company and that is our only source of income. We have lost our only son,” he said.

Then, after a pause, Yadav said, “You see, I have nothing else to lose.”

In a bizarre tragedy, the circumstances of which are not entirely clear, Yadav says that his 20-year-old son shot himself with a pistol while he and his wife were away at the Kumbh Mela, earlier this year. The Haryana police, he said, have found this to be a case of accidental shooting.

When Yadav’s nomination papers were canceled, the troupe of former jawans around him dwindled from around 250 to 15-20, but he is still upbeat.

His supporters share stories of the crowds which come to see the “rebel soldier,” and how everyone wants a selfie with him.

Yadav was set to be the Kejriwal of 2019.  In 2014, Modi beat Arvind Kejriwal by 3.37 lakh votes, but the Aam Aadmi Party chief is widely regarded to have given a “good fight.”

The EC shocker 

Before heading to Varanasi, Yadav said that he wrote to many political parties about his plan to challenge Modi.

Kejriwal, who had challenged Modi in 2014, was the first political leader to back him.

The Election Commission’s move came as a rude shock.

“It was totally ill-intentioned and malafide,” said Prashant Bhushan, senior Supreme Court lawyer, who is representing Yadav. “It is obvious that the Prime Minister does not want a jawan, especially a jawan who was a whistleblower and who was unfairly dismissed, to be his main challenger.”

When it was pointed out that it would have been difficult for Yadav to beat Modi, Bhushan said, “Who knows? Who knows how the campaign would have panned out?  Even if he had not won, all these issues, the poor quality of food given to the jawans and corruption in the army, would have come to the fore. So much for fake nationalism.”

The Returning Officer, the official who signs off on a candidate’s nomination papers, rejected the application because Yadav had failed to furnish the required paperwork related to his dismissal from the BSF.

Under Article 9 of the Representation of the People Act 1951, a person dismissed from government service for corruption or disloyalty to the state is disqualified from contesting elections for five years from the date of dismissal. Article 33(3) of the Act requires a clearance certificate that the dismissed employee was neither corrupt nor disloyal to the state.

Yadav, who was dismissed on 19 April, 2017, says that he had provided his dismissal letter which proved that he was sacked for indiscipline, not for corruption or disloyalty to the state. He also says that Article 33 (3) does not apply to him.

Yadav says that the Returning Officer asked him for a clearance certificate at 6:15 pm on 30 April, and he was given till 11:00 am on 1 May to get the document from the EC’s office in Delhi.

“The last flight for Delhi had already left. I’m not a rich man. I’m neither a minister nor an MP who can take a chartered plane. I had my lawyer go to the EC’s office that very evening, but it takes time,” he said.

Yadav said that his representative was in the process of getting the clearance certificate from the EC’s office on May 1, when his nomination was rejected in Varanasi.

“My nomination was rejected due to the pressure of the BJP government. This is my specific accusation,” Yadav said.

“BJP thought that I would run away after my nomination papers were cancelled, but now I’m re-energised. This just makes me want to fight even harder,” he said.

What kind of country allows a woman on trial for terrorism — Pragya Singh Thakur, BJP’s Bhopal candidate — to stand for election, but bars a jawan who had exposed the poor quality of food served to the soldiers manning the India-Pakistan border in freezing conditions, he wondered out loud.

“It is the death of right and wrong. It is the death of the Constitution. They want people like her in Parliament. They will keep raising Hindu-Muslim issues and the BJP will keep riding its cycle of communal politics,” he said.

From admirer to challenger

In the 2017 video, Yadav accused his superior officers of illegally selling off the essential supplies which the government provided.

The video, with shots of watery dal, which Yadav said was made from haldi and salt, and burnt rotis, was viewed over seven million times.

“I will show you the morning breakfast. We get one paratha, there is nothing in it, no achaar, no vegetables, just tea,” he said in the video.

Public outrage prompted the Prime Minister’s Officer to ask for a report.

While casting Yadav as a troublemaker with multiple complaints of indiscipline against him, the Indian Army was forced to set up an inquiry into the quality of food being served to the BSF personnel.

Eventually, in April 2017, Yadav was dismissed from the BSF on the grounds of indiscipline for posting the video.  It is unclear whether the food at the 29th Battalion of the BSF, where Yadav was posted, has improved.

Singh does not regret speaking out.

“I did not steal anything. I just raised my voice saying that if the government is giving Rs. 100 for a soldier then just spend Rs. 100  — or least Rs. 50 — on that soldier,” he said. “Did you know that we are supposed to get dry fruits as well, but we never got them?”

Yadav said that before going public, he had sent a letter about the quality of food and alleged corruption to the PMO, the Home Ministry and the National Human Rights Commission, but he never heard back.

Yadav knew he was taking a risk in posting the video, but he was confident that Modi, whom he had thought as a true ally of the jawans, and an anti-corruption crusader, would have his back.

“I thought that the country has finally got a truly honest prime minister, who really wants to finish off corruption. I trusted him completely to ensure that jawans would get good food and punish the culprits.”

In 2014, Yadav and his entire family had voted for Modi in the Lok Sabha election. In 2019, he said, with the exception of one of his five brothers, they will all vote against him.

Anger and injustice, Yadav said, had propelled him into politics, and this time it was personal.

“People can see the difference between a real chowkidar and a fake one,” he said.

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The incident occurred around 6.30 pm when the two BJP leaders were on their way to Khejuri under Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency to canvass for party candidate Debasish Samanta.

“Ghosh was in Nandigram. He and Sarma were on their way to Khejuri when the attack happened. We have detained four people and investigating the incident,” Solomon said.

After the incident, the BJP West Bengal chief said, “The attack on us shows clearly that there is no law and order and democracy in the state.” 

Sarma tweeted, “TMC goons have blocked the roads on both sides, even as West Bengal Police personnel standing like mute spectator. I am appalled at such brazen abuse of power by Mamata Banerjee whose people have thrown all democratic norms to gutter. Is this the new India that we dream of?” 

When contacted, West Bengal Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim rubbished the allegation.

“Our party workers are quite disciplined and they have no role in this... It could be by anti-socials given shelter by the CPI(M),” he said.

With acute shortage of drinking water, lack of power supply and ATMs becoming defunct, many people, mostly students and elderly persons, have started leaving the state capital for their native places.

“There is rush at the bus stand as people move to their villages,” Odisha Private Bus Owners Association secretary Tusharkant Acharya said.

He said though 400 buses are now plying in the state, more are required to meet the passenger demands after the cyclone. Bus service has started in 80 per cent of routes as the national highways and state highways have been cleared of blockades.

Though train service from Bhubaneswar resumed on Sunday, East Coast Railways Tuesday announced cancellation of seven trains including Haridwar-Puri Kalinga Express, Chennai-Santragachi Suvidha Express, Neelachal Express, Puri-Shalimar Express.

Meanwhile, the Centre Tuesday extended the last date of registration for students of Odisha to enroll in the JEE (advanced) exam. The eligible students were to resister their names online between May 3 and 9.

“I am happy to announce that students from Odisha appearing JEE (Advance) 2019 will get an extension of 5 days till May 14 for their registration. A decision to this effect was taken following the request of Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik,” Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted.

(This is your spoiler warning: If you haven’t seen this week’s “Game of Thrones” episode, “The Last of the Starks,” this article will probably ruin your day.)

Actor Jacob Anderson, who plays Unsullied leader Grey Worm on “Game of Thrones” and uses the alias Raleigh Ritchie as a rap artist, just shared a video that will bring Grey Worm-Missandei stans to tears.

Nathalie Emmanuel’s Missandei of Naath, faithful assistant to Daenerys Targaryen, was brutally murdered via beheading on the orders of Cersei, bringing a tragic end to the beloved character. The cruel killing broke hearts over the loss of Missandei ― and for Grey Worm, who watched as his love was executed.

The long-running Missandei-Grey Worm love affair was one of the show’s most talked about romances (which is saying something, because there are a LOT of couples on “Game of Thrones.”)

Ritchie memorialized the characters with a behind-the-scenes video of himself and Emmanuel jamming out together to a silly iteration of the Ghost Town DJ’s song “My Boo.”

“I know it hurts. But somewhere in the multiverse,” read Ritchie’s caption.

We’re not crying, YOU’RE CRYING. Excuse us, we’ll be watching this video on repeat forever and ever.

Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes seemingly made their debut as a couple at the 2019 Met Gala on Monday evening after years of rumors that they’re dating.

The actors apparently arrived together at the big event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, but hit the red carpet separately, according to People. Still, Foxx and Holmes posed for photos as a pair in front of a flower wall during the event. 

Holmes stunned in a custom purple Zac Posen gown that featured a collar made of palm leaves that draped over her shoulders. Foxx sported a black tux with a sequin panther pin and purple shoes that matched Holmes’ ensemble. 

The movie stars were first linked romantically in 2013 after they both attended the fourth annual Apollo in the Hamptons benefit. Foxx subsequently denied a romance, and Holmes stayed silent on the matter. 

But the two have occasionally been spotted together after rumors of a romance first broke. In 2017, TMZ published photos of Foxx and Holmes holding hands during a stroll on the beach.

They have not publicly confirmed a relationship. Representatives for both Holmes and Foxx did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

Perhaps Cardi B would have something to say about Foxx and Holmes’ Met Gala chemistry – the rapper posed with them during the event. 

Couture queen and fashion darling Cardi B showed up to the 2019 Met Gala on Monday in the kind of iconic red carpet look we’ve come to expect from her. 

The rapper wore a custom, feathered Thom Browne look that included a structured bodice, a bejeweled headpiece, feathered shoulders, sheer gloves and half a million dollars in ruby nipple covers. 

The two jeweled pieces, created by international jewelry brand Stefere, were $250,000 each, Cardi told Vogue’s Liza Koshy. 

“If I lose one of them, you know what I’m saying, I’m going to have to sell my Birkin bags,” she said, laughing, before explaining the inspiration for her gown. 

“The inspiration behind it was feminism, you know this reflects the woman’s body. You’ve got your little boobies, vajayjay, and your ― if you see my back, it’s like, booty.” 

In keeping with the “Notes on Camp” theme, Cardi said that she and Browne tried to focus on the look being “very elegant, extravagant, but not too Halloween-ish.” 

“Perfect look for me,” the rapper said. “So I’m brown okurrrr!” 

Check out more of the campy looks below: 

One 18-year-old student was killed and seven others injured after two shooters opened fire on a science and technology school in the Denver area on Tuesday.

The gunmen entered two classrooms in different locations “deep” inside STEM School Highlands Ranch and began shooting at students, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said at a press conference.

Deputies responded to the scene two minutes after receiving reports of shots fired within the school shortly before 2 p.m.

One suspect is an adult male and the other is a juvenile male. Both of the suspected gunmen are believed to be students of the school, which is located in Highlands Ranch, 25 miles south of Denver. 

Spurlock said at least one handgun was used during the attack.

“This is a terrible event. This is something that no one wants to have happen in their community,” the sheriff said. “We’re going to investigate that and get to the bottom of it.”

Eight students were taken to local hospitals, some in critical condition. One 18-year-old male student died.

Littleton Adventist Hospital received five victims, two of whom are in serious condition and three who have been discharged. Two students arrived at SkyRidge Medical Center in stable condition, the Denver Post reported. Denver 7 said there was an additional student in good condition at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Jake Stanley, a 14-year-old student, told Denver 7 ABC there was some panic after the middle school and high school portions of the campus were placed on lockdown.

“Everybody was a little bit panicked. We didn’t know what was going on,” he told the news station. “We could tell it was bad and it wasn’t just a drill.”

Shortly after the shooting broke out, Gov. Jared Polis (D) said he was monitoring the situation.

“I‘m absolutely heartbroken to learn that a STEM school student was killed in the shooting today,” Polis said in a tweet later Tuesday. “I cannot imagine the grief & horror that the family is dealing with. Our deepest condolences go out to the family, the community, & everyone impacted by this senseless act of violence.”

The FBI has taken over the investigation and is at the crime scene. Officers are using a bomb disposal robot to search through a car though to belong to the suspect. Investigators have also obtained warrants to search both of the suspects’ homes.

The White House issued a statement hours after the shooting, noting that President Donald Trump is monitoring the situation.

“Our prayers are with the victims, family members, and all those affected by today’s shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Littleton, Colorado,” deputy press secretary Judd Deere said. “Tragically, this community and those surrounding it know all too well these hateful and horrible acts of violence.”

About 1,800 students attend STEM School Highlands Ranch, which serves kindergarten through 12th grade.

According to the Denver Post, this is the fourth school shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School shooting in Littleton on April 20, 1999, which left 12 students and one teacher dead. Highlands Ranch is just minutes from Littleton.

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

Four people have been killed in a blast in Lahore’s Data Darbar area, near a Sufi shrine in Pakistan on Wednesday morning. 

According to Pakistan daily The Express Tribune, the police force of the city was made the target of the blast. 

Many have been injured in the blast, reports suggest. 

Dawn reported that the blast took place near a police van. 

This is a developing story, further details are awaited. 

NEW DELHI — The former woman employee of the Supreme Court who levelled sexual harassment allegations against Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, on Tuesday sought a copy of the report of the In-House Inquiry Committee which gave clean chit to the CJI.

The CJI Monday got a clean chit from a three-member Inquiry Committee headed by Justice SA Bobde which found “no substance” in the allegations of the former woman employee and further ruled that the report was not “liable to be made public”.

The 3-member Committee, which completed its task in 14 days, proceeded ex-parte as the woman had opted out of the inquiry on 30 April after participating for three days.

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In a letter to Justice Bobde, the woman has alleged lack of transparency in the functioning of the inquiry panel and said that now, not providing her a copy of the order “would be a violation of the principles of natural justice and a complete travesty of justice”.

She alleged that in the first hearing, she was not given any clarity on whether the present proceedings were the in-house.

“However, the in-house proceeding rules are now being used to deny me and the public a right to the report. The Secretary General’s press note states that a copy of the report will not be made public... It appears from the press release that even I, the complainant, will not to be provided with a copy of the report.

“I have a right to the report, the reasons for the same as well as copies of the depositions of any witnesses, any other persons or any other evidence considered by the Committee,” she said.

The statement further said that if the CJI was being given a copy of the report, directly or indirectly, the complainant was also entitled to it.

“I find it rather strange that the complainant in a case of sexual harassment is not to be provided with a copy of the report which finds her complaint to be without substance and that my complaint has been held by the committee to be this without giving me any reasons for the same,” she said, adding that both the parties had a right to receive a copy of the report.

“I am shocked that despite my detailed affidavit, ample corroborative evidence and clear, consistent statement before the Committee reiterating my experience of sexual harassment and consequent victimisation the Committee has found ‘no substance’ in my complaint and affidavit.

“I am shocked that Committee has come to an adverse finding against me despite the fact that I was compelled to withdraw from the Committee since the committee did not observe even the most basic principles of natural justice,” she said in a statement.

She alleged that from the beginning she was treated as an outsider and was not informed of the procedure and her basic rights and obligations with regard to the inquiry proceedings.

The complainant further alleged lack of transparency in the functioning of the Committee and said a great prejudice was being caused to her repeatedly.

Regarding the judgement cited by the apex court committee while refusing to provide her a copy of the order, she said it was given at a time prior to the Right to Information Act.

“Even according to the full bench judgment of the Delhi High court in the Assets disclosure case, such a report should be accessible to any citizen under the RTI. The full bench had held that even assets of judges would be accessible under RTI to any citizen.

“In these circumstances I request you to kindly provide me with a copy of the report since I have a right to know how, why and on what basis have your Lordships found my complaint to have ‘no substance’,” the statement said.

The In-House Committee, also comprising two woman judges of the apex court ― Justices Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee ― had on May 1 recorded the statement of the CJI who had appeared before it.

The Committee submitted its report to Justice Arun Mishra ― number four in seniority.

After the CJI, constituted on April 23, Justice Bobde is the next senior most judge, followed by Justices N V Ramana, Arun Mishra and R F Nariman.

The allegations against the CJI had become public on April 20 when some news web portals had come out with the stories.

The woman had sent her affidavit to 22 judges of the apex court about the alleged sexual harassment.

Within hours of the allegations coming into public domain, an unprecedented hearing by a bench comprising CJI and Justices Mishra and Sanjiv Khanna had taken place on April 20 which was Saturday.

Warning! This article contains spoilers for the most recent episode of Game Of Thrones.

Game Of Thrones had to digitally insert the character of Missandei into her own death scene, it has been revealed.

Producers went to unusual lengths to ensure the fate of Daenerys Targaryen’s adviser did not leak prior to the fourth episode of season eight debuting in the US on Sunday night.

Fans of the show watched in horror as Missandei became the latest character to meet a grisly end, being executed under the orders of Cersei Lannister in scenes taking place on top of the walls of King’s Landing.

The location meant filming took place high up, and bosses were concerned that it meant paparazzi would be able to snap photos and leak news of her death to the press.

A visual effects worker on the show has revealed that producers therefore shot much of the action in a studio before editing actor Nathalie Emmanuel into the scene later on.

Speaking in a behind-the-scenes clip, Stefen Fangmeier said: “The set was incredibly visible from the surrounding area, and the big concern for this season more than ever was the secrecy of the plot.

“We wouldn’t want to give away that Missandei is executed. Having her stand up there 40 feet high, there was no way to hide that.

“So later on we were adding her in there oftentimes as a digi-double, but for the close-up work we shot her separately on stage to composite her on that location, so we could put it together and it’s seamless.”

While the Game Of Thrones team were at pains to stop spoilers leaking during filming, it seems they haven’t been quite as careful in the lead up to the episodes airing.

The entirety of the second episode appeared on Amazon Prime Video in Germany ahead of schedule, while spoilers about key deaths in the third and fourth instalment were also shared online ahead of broadcast.

Fans have since been left fuming after a minute-long preview of a scene from the penultimate episode leaked, which some have noted could hint at how the series ends.

The show has also come in for some criticism from fans in the last few days over their lack of attention to detail, which saw an errant Starbucks cup made its way on screen during the most recent episode. 

LAHORE, Pakistan — At least nine people were killed by a blast targeting a security checkpoint outside a major Sufi shrine in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, officials said.

The blast, one day after the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, took place close to the Data Darbar, one of the largest shrines in South Asia, which was cordoned off by security forces.

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“Police was the prime target in this attack. We are collecting forensic evidences to ascertain the nature of the blast. This attack has left nine dead and 24 injured,” said Ashfaq Khan, deputy inspector general of police operations in Lahore.

Many people were wounded and Muhammad Farooq, a spokesman for the city’s rescue services, said at least seven or eight of them were in critical condition.

Sufis, who follow a mystical form of Islam that has been practised in Pakistan for centuries, have been attacked by hardline Sunni Muslim militants in the past but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. 

Police out up checkpoints on main thoroughfares leading to the shrine and hospitals were placed on alert, officials said.

Militant violence has declined sharply in Pakistan following a sustained crackdown in recent years and over the past two years Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, has been free of the kind of attacks that were once common.

However, officials warned that the attack highlighted the need for vigilance by people gathering for worship during Ramadan.

“People should remain aware of their surroundings when going to pray,” said Punjab provincial minister Mian Aslam.

Khan said authorities had maintained a general security alert but there had been no specific warning about a threat to the Data Darbar, which attracts large numbers of visitors every year.

Dirty talk doesn’t have to be complicated. As sex columnist Dan Savage once summed it up, the best sex talk is simple and straightforward: “Tell ’em what you’re going to do, tell ’em what you’re doing, tell ’em what you did.”

Still, as simple as it can be, many of us freeze up in the moment, either saying something we heard on Pornhub that sounds unnatural, or something that’s awkward, weird or deeply unsexy. 

We’re reminded of that scene in “Seinfeld,” where Jerry tells George what he’d told a woman the night before: “She’s talking about her panties, so, uh...so, I said, ‘You mean the panties your mother laid out for you?’”

″‘The panties your mother laid out for you?’” a flabbergasted George says. “What does that mean?” 

Yeah, we don’t know either, but for those of us who struggle with dirty talk, the scene is a little too relatable. 

Given the myriad ways it could go wrong, why even bother with dirty talk in the first place? It’s simple: When done right, and said by someone you’re incredibly attracted to, nothing’s sexier than vocal sex. The brain is our biggest sexual organ, so it makes sense that we’re turned on by what our partners say in the heat of the moment. (And vice versa; voicing the desires and fantasies you usually keep to yourself to a rapt audience can be a huge turn-on.) 

At the heart of it, good, game-changing dirty talk takes us out of our humdrum regular lives and into the performance of sex, said Jenny Block, a dating expert and author of ”O Wow: Discovering Your Ultimate Orgasm.”

“Our bodies may be feeling something, but if our minds are disengaged, the pleasure reward will always fall short,” she said. “Dirty talk helps us to get out of our heads and into our bodies. Just the sounds and tones can help us forget all about the laundry and remember just how good our partner feels.”

Now that we’ve sold you on the gift of gab, let’s talk through a few ways to elevate your dirty talk game. 

First, keep it simple.

No need to channel a porn star right out of the gate. Say what feels natural to you in the moment, and definitely don’t feel like you have to construct some elaborate sex narrative beforehand. This isn’t some weird sex monologue; you don’t have to talk the whole time. Even just a well placed “I can’t wait to feel you inside me” as you walk through the door or when you kiss can do the trick. 

“I always tell people to think about your senses,” said sexologist Megan Stubbs, “and if profanity or vulgar language isn’t something that you commonly use, don’t feel pressured to use it. I mean, it might throw your partner off if you’re suddenly asking ‘master to fuck his little cum-dumpster.’”

Aim to be playful and start early. When your partner is off at work or running errands, drop some hints about how much you want to play later on.

“I suggest slowly building the anticipation of a sexual encounter,” Stubbs said. “Sending a text like, ‘I can’t wait for tonight...’ is an easy lead-in to dirty talk.” (On that note, you might want to read our primer on how to write a sext that doesn’t suck.)

Ask yourself: How do I want to feel? How do I want my partner to feel? 

Dirty talk is pretty intimidating when you’re worried about how you might sound or if your partner is going to laugh. Don’t intellectualize it so much. Tap into the sensory side of sex. When you start to focus on how you want yourself and your partner to feel, you realize you have more in your sex talk arsenal than you know, said Heather McPherson, a sex therapist and owner of Respark Therapy in Austin, Texas, and Denver.

“You can also follow the simple Dan Savage formula,” she said. “Being playful and bringing a relaxed, confident attitude can also be helpful.” 

Become a pro at giving instructions.  

There are two types of dirty talk, said Kenneth Play, a sex educator and coach in Brooklyn, New York: One type builds anticipation (“I can’t wait to make you come later...”), the other type is purely instructional. 

“Instructions and giving a little direction can be incredibly sexy for some people,” he said. “For example, say something like, ‘When you come home today, I want you to put on your favorite lingerie, then I want you to lay on the bed face down and wait for me to come home and play with you.’”

Get comfortable talking about sex outside the bedroom. 

Research shows that people who are more comfortable talking about sex in their everyday lives have more satisfying sex lives. If you never talk about sex, it’s not necessarily going to be any easier getting chatty in bed, so don’t shy away from talking about it with your partner at other times.

“People get intimidated by dirty talk mostly because they don’t know what to say! We feel tongue-tied in the moment, or unsure how to express ourselves,” said sex therapist Vanessa Marin. “Most people don’t talk about sex openly, so they just need to get in the practice to feel comfortable.” 

If you say something that doesn’t go over well, talk about it later. 

A little nervous laughter is fine, but sometimes, you might say something that triggers your partner. They might not have the language to tell you why it bothered them in the moment, but if you get the sense that you pushed things too far, definitely talk about it later. 

Discuss how you’re “carving out an erotic space where dirty talk is about fantasy,” not about how you feel about that person in reality, Play said. (Think: How some people get off at being called “daddy,” but it’s about authority and sexual dominance, not incestuous fantasies.) 

“If you do make a mistake or go too far, quite simply, correct it,” Play said. “Honor that your partner doesn’t like it, honor why if they can share, and also let them know they don’t even need to tell you why it’s just not their thing and then you move on.” 

It doesn’t have to be X-rated to be good. 

Read the room. Don’t throw out anything super vulgar unless tonally all signs point to that being a good idea, Block said, calling on personal experience to illustrate her point. 

“One time I used language that was far too X-rated, and it really turned the other person off,” she recalled. “My partner was very sweet about it and asked me to switch gears a little. I was still super-embarrassed.”

It was a nice moment in the end, and Block and the woman were able to giggle about it later. (Mutual laughter = great sex, in our book.) 

“It became like a silly, intimate secret we shared,” she said. “All she cared about was the fact that I was willing to give it a go. The particulars were something we could work out along the way.”   

And now, to make things even easier, here’s short list of lines you can use in a pinch, provided by our sex-perts: 

1. “I’ve been thinking about what I want to do with you...”

2. “You taste so good.”

3. “Right there. Touch my _____.”

4. “Yes, please. More.”

5. “When I walk in the door I want you in my favorite skirt with no underwear...”

6. “It makes me crazy when you _____.”

7. “I’m going to come for you.”

8. “You taste so good.”

9. “I want you to use me like a toy.”

10. “I love it when you moan my name.”

11. “Fuck me hard.”

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.

Sharif D. Rangnekar’s memoir, Straight to Normal: My Life as a Gay Man, spoke to this reviewer as a friend. Rangnekar’s book, which is about coming to terms with and accepting his sexuality and coming out as a gay man in a homophobic society, is also about the various burdens that he carried through his life and the reconciliations he made.

A communications consultant and former journalist, Rangnekar was the third and youngest son of D. K. Rangnekar—a former editor of The Economic Times and Business Standard—and his wife Veena Kapoor, a naturopath and yoga expert and a former member of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). About his birth, Rangnekar writes: “After two sons, my father was hoping for a daughter but he got me—a slightly oversized baby boy. I was named Sharif after the Egyptian actor, Omar Sharif.” Rangnekar’s childhood was influenced not only by his illustrious parents but also by his elder brothers, Dilip and Dwijen, about whom he writes fondly; and even though he did not really face pressure from his family to excel academically or in sports and extracurricular activities, the first burden he had to carry was of a personal desire to at least be on par with his brothers.

Due to his father moving from Mumbai to Kolkata, Rangnekar had to change schools and had a lot of coping up to do. He had practically no friends, his bad health was not allowing him to perform well in the schools he was enrolled in, and his brothers too were moving ahead in their lives, a situation Rangnekar touchingly mentions: “[The] social life and activities [of my brothers] grew as they both moved into St James’ School… It was at the same time that I moved to class seven and was now without either of my brothers in the same school. I was also unhappy to find a largely unfamiliar set of classmates as the school had decided to shuffle us around into different sections. I was, once again, compelled to build new bonds and recreate a group.”

It was at school that Rangnekar realised that he was attracted to people of his own gender, and it was at school that he had his first bout of depression. Unhappiness, he called it: “I seemed to hit a sudden period of unhappiness.” Once, he took the divider from his geometry box and wrote on his desk: “I do not wish to live. Life is not good.” After that, he tried drinking mercurochrome despite knowing that it was poison. “Maybe everyone will miss me or maybe they would not miss me at all,” was the thought that was in his mind at that time. Though he did not ultimately kill himself, this heavy burden was evident on Rangnekar’s life during his teens.

An introvert from his childhood, Rangnekar writes about being othered at most places he went to, and this process of being othered had to do with his background, rather than his sexuality. Upon shifting from Kolkata to Delhi after the death of his father and changing into yet another school, people around Rangnekar could not accept that he could not speak Hindi.

“There were times when [his] family was even accused of being British or not Indian enough just because [he] told [people] that [they] spoke English at home.” Another bone of contention in Delhi was his name, as people “[questioned] his first name and its Arabic lineage, doubting whether [he] was Hindu or Indian.”

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A rise in professional success—he started as an editorial assistant at Penguin Books India before working as a journalist with The Pioneer and The Economic Times—made Rangnekar more sure of himself. However, even then there were moments of uncertainty that could have been disastrous had Rangnekar not used his wits at the right time. One episode in this book that stayed with this reviewer is when Rangnekar almost got married to a woman. There was a lot of pressure on him from his family and friends to conform – they were unaware of his sexuality as he had not come out – and like many gay men taking on a veneer of heterosexuality to fit in, Rangnekar too had agreed to a marriage to a woman. Finally, a misunderstanding between the respective families helps Rangnekar walk away from that situation.

His association with the Naz Foundation was a revelation to Rangnekar. He realised that unlike his own privileged position as a salaried professional, few gay men in Delhi “had permanent jobs or job security as such. Many had left their homes to live in Delhi and make a life for themselves.” They had to fend for themselves apart from struggling to survive in a homophobic society, and that “was a huge struggle as Delhi was a city of networks that weren’t easy to crack.” There was also class discrimination on gay platforms. While gay men were allowed in gay parties, “[cross-dressers] and trans-genders had no place at such parties” and Rangnekar “wasn’t aware of anyone who raised a voice against such rules.”

Rangnekar’s writing is breezy yet sincere, full of life and yet rooted, and reading this memoir is like taking a journey from the India of the 1970s and closeted societies till the time the discriminatory Section 377 was scrapped. Straight to Normal: My Life as a Gay Man deserves praise for expressing the upheavals of a remarkable life in an engrossing manner.

Actor Ryan Reynolds just Poke-rolled his fans. 

The “Detective Pikachu” star posted a call for help on Twitter to Warner Brothers over a supposed leak of the full movie, posted on YouTube ahead of the film’s opening later this week. 

The linked footage starts out looking a lot like Reynolds’ personal screener copy of the picture, with his name burned into it.

But that changes about a minute in:

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday tendered an unconditional apology in the Supreme Court for wrongfully attributing to the apex court the ‘chowkidar chor hai’ remark in the Rafale verdict.

He also sought closure of the criminal contempt proceedings against him on a petition filed by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi.

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In a fresh three-page affidavit, Gandhi said he holds the apex court in the “highest esteem and respect” and that he has never sought to do anything which interferes with the process of administration of justice.

“The deponent (Rahul Gandhi) unconditionally apologises for the wrongful attributions to this court. The deponent further states that any such attributions were entirely unintentional, non-wilful and inadvertent,” Gandhi said in his affidavit.

“The deponent most respectfully prays that this court may be graciously pleased to accept the instant affidavit and close the present contempt proceedings,” the affidavit stated.

Gandhi also said the affidavit is made “bonafide and in the interest of justice, and nothing material has been concealed therefrom” 

“At the outset the deponent herein most respectfully submits that he holds this court in the highest esteem, and respect. The deponent has never sought or intended to, directly or indirectly, commit any act that it interferes with the process of administration of justice,” the Congress chief said in his affidavit.

BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who filed the contempt petition against Gandhi, had alleged that he has attributed his personal remarks to the top court and tried to create prejudice.

Tech giant Google’s latest generation of smartphones - Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL - will make their way into the Indian market priced at Rs 39,999 onwards from 15 May.

These handsets, which are cheaper than their predecessors, compete with devices from the stables of Apple, Samsung and OnePlus in the burgeoning premium smartphone segment in India.

Speaking at its annual developers meet Google I/O late Tuesday night, its CEO Sundar Pichai said “building for everyone” is a core philosophy for the company.

The new lineup promises better camera features, battery life and unlimited storage.

Pixel 3a features 5.6-inch display, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, 12.2MP rear and 8MP front camera, and 3,000 mAh battery. Pixel 3a XL - priced at Rs 44,999 - features a larger six-inch display and 3,700 mAh battery.

The eSIM on Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL will now be supported by Airtel and Reliance Jio, the company said.

Specifications

By offering a more affordable lineup, the US-based giant is keen on wooing customers in emerging countries like India. 

According to Counterpoint Research Associate Director Tarun Pathak, the “mid-tier variant of Pixel” is expected to provide Google with “a chance to start things from scratch in some of the emerging countries like India where premium market is small but growing fast”.

“This can help Google to lock in some first-time users who are looking for premium features at an affordable prices,” he told PTI.

Given that the premium smartphone market in India is expected to grow by 30 per cent, the segment offers a huge potential for players like Google.

Google had introduced its Pixel 3 and 3XL in India in October last year priced between Rs 71,000-92,000. The prices of these devices now hover around Rs 57,000-74,000.

In March this year, Samsung had unveiled three devices - Galaxy S10+, S10 and S10e - as part of its flagship Galaxy S series that was priced between Rs 55,900-1.18 lakh in India. The base models of Apple’s iPhone XR and XS are priced Rs 76,900 and Rs 99,900, respectively. Huawei has also upped its ante in the segment with the introduction of P30 for Rs 71,990.

China’s OnePlus - which has been gaining popularity among Indian buyers - is slated to unveil its latest ‘OnePlus 7’ later this month.

According to the research firm, Samsung had 44 per cent share of the premium smartphone (Rs 30,000 and above) market in India in the January-March 2019 quarter. OnePlus had 26 per cent share, while Apple had 19 per cent share in the said quarter. Other players - including Google - accounted for the remaining 11 per cent share of the premium segment.

Google has announced the upcoming version of its operating system - Android Q - that will natively support foldable displays and focusses on key areas like security and well-being.

(With PTI inputs)