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This Kashmiri Man Gave His Grandchild The Best Eid Surprise Ever

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Grandpa Molvi Abdul Hai knew his Bengaluru-based granddaughter was worried sick about her family, so he came up with a secret plan

BENGALURU, Karnataka — At 3:45 am on 10 August, five days after the Indian government cut all phone lines and blacked out the internet in Jammu & Kashmir, Molvi Abdul Hai left his house in Srinagar without informing his wife, son or daughter-in-law. Something had been troubling the 83-year-old former teacher for a while and so he decided to act. 

In his hurry to slip out of his home, he packed haphazardly and even wore mismatched footwear. A  student drove him past a couple of checkpoints manned by sleepy uniformed personnel to the airport, where he boarded an Indigo flight non-stop to Bangalore. He had forgotten to lock his bag and when he eventually opened it, many of his possessions, including his medicines, were missing. 

On the flight Hai met a woman with an infant who was returning home because her mother had just died. 

“She was coming to pay her respects and didn’t know if her mother had been buried yet,” he said.

The moment he landed in Kempegowda International Airport, he switched on his phone and made a call. “I’m at the Bangalore airport,” he told his shocked granddaughter Daniya, who answered with the question: “Where are you?”

Daniya, who is 22 years old, was in class at a Bengaluru college and blinked when her phone flashed the familiar Kashmir number. Like thousands of other Kashmiris working or studying across India, she had had no contact with her family back home since the lockdown. 

August 10, the day Hai landed in Bengaluru, was Daniya’s mother’s birthday and she had written a poem on Facebook about how her mother seemed so far away. Just the day before, her class had started learning about Kashmir as part of a course on geopolitics, and her fellow students were reluctant to even accept the legitimacy of the historical documents the teacher showed them. 

Article 370 of the Indian constitution granted Kashmir “special status”, and was a pre-condition for the state joining the Indian union. On August 5 2019, the Indian government had nullified this provision, bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, and put the local population under military siege.

Now her maternal grandfather had slipped past the security cordons in Srinagar and flown almost the entire length of the country to come to spend Eid with her in Bengaluru.

Daniya says her Nana never says no. 

“He always says go experience it,” she said. 

When Daniya wanted a tattoo and her mother said no citing Islam, she asked her Nana what he thought. 

“He doesn’t impose religion, he always uses logic,” she said. 

Hai asked her, “Do you pray five times? Do you fast? Do you give zakat?” 

When she answered no to all those must-dos, he said then why all the fuss about a tattoo.

“I knew she must have been worrying if we were okay, if her parents were alive,” Hai said, of his granddaughter. “What would she do on Eid alone?” 

He had wanted her to come home for the festival but when the situation in Kashmir deteriorated suddenly, the family realised she wouldn’t make it. 

So he decided to deliver the news that they were okay in person. 

“I knew she was sad. I thought two sad people…” his voice trails away. 

The Bangalore taxi driver who ferried him to the city saw a gullible target in the shaky senior citizen with the walking stick who was travelling alone and overcharged him.

“I’m 83, I’ve never seen people so fearful and terrified,” he recalled over a cup of sweet, milky tea and apple pie. He held his walking stick in his left hand even while sitting and jabbed the table for emphasis with his right hand. He suffered a hairline fracture of his spine when he slipped during the Kashmir floods of 2014 and he still needs to rest his back regularly. 

“The doctor has asked me to sit like this,” he said, leaning back and demonstrating the position that puts the least stress on his back. 

“I have seen Hari Singh’s reign. I have seen 1947, 1965 and 1972. I came by foot from Anantnag to Srinagar when Sheikh Abdullah was arrested in 1953,” Hai said. “But I have never seen any happiness or peace in Kashmir in all these years.” 

The worry is clearly etched on his face. Hai said that though people are critical of former Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad from 1953 to 1964, things eased off a bit in the years when he was in charge of the administration. “I’ve never seen so much fear in any previous curfew. Nobody knows what’s going to happen next. There are so many problems that I have even forgotten myself.”

Hai’s father was a teacher too. He couldn’t afford the 7 rupees a month fee that was required to hire a teacher for his son and so he taught him himself at home. Hai would go on to get a triple PhD and start his own educational institute after years of working at The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in Delhi and being a professor. 

He sounds anguished and exasperated when he talks about Kashmir today. “Everything we use in Kashmir is sourced from India. We don’t have any industries of our own. Even Nun Chai comes from Bengal. The clothes we wear are Indian. Which idiots say we are not Indians?”

“We are just not recognised as Indians,” Daniya said. 

Hai said the government’s decision to strike down Article 370, which had governed the state of Jammu & Kashmir for so many decades, is purely a political play. “The government had no other pressing matters in any other state to start its five-year term? What about all the floods that are plaguing parts of India now? Why don’t they focus on such things?”

Like most Kashmiris, Hai is only too familiar with loss. “He had three sons and a daughter,” said Daniya. “Now he has one son and a daughter.”

Hai’s son Rizwan will be familiar to anyone who has read Agha Shahid Ali’s searing collection of poems The Country Without a Post Office. In I See Kashmir from New Delhi at Midnight the poet writes:

‘Rizwan it’s you, Rizwan it’s you,’ I cry out as he steps closer, the sleeves of his phiran torn…Don’t tell my father I have died, he says…

Hai was like a son to the poet’s father, renowned educationist Agha Ashraf Ali, and the two families are still very close. After Rizwan was murdered, Shahid Ali stopped coming to Kashmir. 

“I have passed my childhood in temples and mosques but now I see humanity is the biggest religion. We have to work with each other, be there for each other, understand each other’s pain,” Hai said sadly.

For today though, he’s glad he will be spending Eid with his granddaughter. 


Kashmir: Man In Video With Ajit Doval Had No Idea Who He Was Talking To

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National Security Advisor Ajit Doval interacts with Kashmiris in Shopian on 7 August 2019.

SHOPIAN, Jammu & Kashmir —Two days after the Union government revoked the special constitutional provision governing the relationship between Jammu & Kashmir and the rest of India, it released a video showing National Security Advisor Ajit Doval speaking to Kashmiris in the volatile Shopian district in south Kashmir.

The video, released on August 7, also showed Doval sharing “biryani” with the locals. With Kashmir still under an unprecedented crackdown and information blockade, the video received wide publicity from television channels and social media to portray ‘peace’ and ‘normalcy’ in the region following government’s decision to nullify Article 370. 

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HuffPost India tracked down one of the men who was part of the conversation with Doval in the video. A resident of Shopian’s Aliyalpora, Mohammad Mansoor Magray, 62, is a retired government officer and a social activist who said that he wouldn’t have gone along if he had been told it was to meet Doval, whom he didn’t recognise.

“I had never seen him (Doval) before in my life. I thought maybe he’s the personal secretary of DGP Sahab,” said Magray, adding that his family was scared when the video went viral.

Magray also said he would file a defamation suit against Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for putting his life in danger by calling him a “paid agent”.

Had I known it was Doval, I wouldn’t have gone. Even if they dragged me."

Excerpts from the interview

Can you please tell us something about yourself?  

I have been into social activism since last three decades. During my employment, I was very vocal in raising the issues of employees and I also served as the leader of a trade union.

I have also protested against the sentencing of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in New Delhi. More recently, I also protested against the challenge to the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Indian constitution.

After retirement, my activism has ranged between bringing public issues to the notice of government to ensure development in the district.

Due to my rapport with the police and government officials, distressed families also approach me to get their kids released if they are picked up by security forces. They have a huge trust on me and every day, you’ll see people knocking on my door to get their issues solved.

I dislike politics.

He shook my hand and also asked me to click a picture with him.  I realised it was a trap."

What happened on 7 August?

On 7 August, I was preparing for afternoon prayers at my home when some policemen in civvies came on motorcycles along with the personnel of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). They asked me to come to the police station Shopian.

As police have been rounding up political leaders and activists in the aftermath of Article 370, I thought that’s why they have summoned me.

But they told me that Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Dilbag Singh has come to Shopian on a visit.  

When I waited for 5-10 minutes and nobody turned up, I asked them: ‘Which cell are you putting me in? Here or in Tihar jail?’

Since DGP Sahib is the representative of the government, I, as a social activist, decided to go to the police station. I hitched a ride on one of the motorcycles and went with them.

I thought since locals have been locked up inside their homes for the last 72 hours, I should apprise the DGP about the hardships by the people. When I reached the police station, I saw some 5-6 people from Auqaf (mosque management) already there. When I waited for 5-10 minutes and nobody turned up, I asked them: ‘Which cell are you putting me in? Here or in Tihar jail?’

Since no top official was turning up at the police station, I decided to leave and told officials that I will return after having lunch. I also told other gathered locals there that we should go home and come later.

How did you end up meeting National Security Advisor Ajit Doval?

The moment we started to leave the police station, a police vehicle came along with an ambulance. We were all boarded on the ambulance and they dumped us like cattle near the Srinagar bus stop in Shopian. Once we reached there, we saw that a chain of army and police vehicles had cordoned off the entire area.

After we alighted from the ambulance, I was greeted by the Superintendent of Police, Shopian, Sandeep Chaudhary. After him, I met DGP Sahab and apprised him about the situation of people locked inside their homes since last 72 hours.

When I explained the situation to the DGP Sahab, he led me to a jacket-wearing man and told me to discuss these issues with him. I had never seen him (Doval) before in my life. I thought maybe he’s the personal secretary of DGP Sahab.

What did Doval tell you?  

He said: ‘Look, Article 370 is gone.’

I didn’t say anything in reply.

Secondly, he said ‘people will benefit and may God keep everything well.’

I replied: Inshallah.

He then talked about the development, job opportunities for the youth and other benefits. He actually made us understand how the government’s decision will benefit Kashmir.

All this while, 5-8 cameramen were present there and they were filming the entire conversation. The conversation lasted for 10-15 minutes.

Did you have any idea who you were talking to? 

No. It was only after I saw DGP and SP standing in an alert position before him that I noticed that he can’t be the personal secretary of DGP.

Only then I asked him: ‘Sir, please give me your introduction?’

He replied: I am National Security Advisor of Modiji.

Then I introduced myself and told him about my social activism.  

He shook my hand and also asked me to click a picture with him.  I realised it was a trap.

So, you are saying that you weren’t told about the reality of the person whom you are meeting?

No. Had I known it was Doval, I wouldn’t have gone. Even if they dragged me.

You also shared biryani with him?

After the conversation ended, DGP Sahab asked me to have lunch with them.

It was not biryani. While I was interacting with Doval, some officer pushed a plate of rice in my hand. Apart from the rice, there was a chunk of “gosht” (meat) and some curry spread over it. Doval was enjoying it.

How did your family react to the meeting?

When I told my son that I met Ajit Doval, he jolted out of his bed. He told me ‘Daddy, you’ll soon be on television.’ That’s what exactly happened.

They were scared when the video went viral. My son even asked his mother to pack her bags and leave for Srinagar.

Are you saying you were deceived into meeting Doval?   

I would not say ‘deceived’. But yes, they projected me in a wrong manner. I had gone to meet DGP Sahab in good faith as a social activist.

What complicated the situation was the statement of senior Congress leader and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad. He called us “paid agents.” That statement has jeopardised my life. I am going to file a defamation suit against him. 

Who were the other locals shown in the video?

They were local members of mosque management in Shopian. One of them was the father of an imprisoned youngster, another was a driver.

What is your stand on the abrogation of Article 370?

I must say that it’s our local mainstream leaders who hollowed out the autonomy granted out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. What can I say?

You live in the militancy hotbed of south Kashmir’s Shopian district and you figured in a video with India’s top security official. Has it had any impact on your life? 

Everyone in Shopian town knows that I am a social activist. If it had happened in some other place, I would have had to bear the consequences of it because of the current situation in Kashmir.

After 7 August, whenever I leave home, these thoughts linger in my mind. My life has become complicated. It’s no longer like it used to be.

How 5-Star Hotels Justify Charging Exorbitant Rates For Common Items

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After actor Rahul Bose revealed the exorbitant amount he was charged for two bananas at a Chandigarh hotel, a patron on Sunday said he had been billed Rs 1,700 for two boiled eggs at Mumbai’s Four Seasons Hotel.

Author-photographer Karik Dhar tweeted out a picture of his bill, renewing debate on how much star hotels charge for common items. 

The bill copy shared by Dhar showed omelettes also priced at Rs 850, while a Diet Coke went for Rs 260.

After actor Rahul Bose complained about paying Rs 442 for two bananas at Chandigarh’s JW Marriott, the Chandigarh Excise and Taxation department penalised the hotel for charging “illegal tax” on the bananas.

Excise and Taxation Commissioner Mandip Singh Brar had ordered a high-level investigation to probe the GST levied on the fruit.

However, the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India had come out in support of the hotel and backed it for charging the high amount.

In its statement, FHRAI said, “Chain hotels have presence across several cities and follow standard operating procedures (SOPs). We need to understand that the hotel is not engaged in the sale and purchase of fruits and vegetables but it provides service of accommodation as well as restaurant service which includes supply of food and beverages to its guests,” said the federation.”

“Unlike a retail store where bananas can be purchased at market price, a hotel offers service, quality, plate, cutlery, accompaniment, sanitised fruit, ambience and luxury and not the commodity alone,” said FHRAI Vice President Gurbaxish Singh Kohli.

“While bananas, or other unpacked fruits, are outside the purview of GST at a retail store, when served in a restaurant or hotel, whether as a fruit platter or a whole fruit, as per existing GST laws, a levy of 18 per cent is applicable. This is what the laws demand of us, and we don’t have a say in the matter,” joint secretary Pradeep Shetty said.

However, post the incident with Rahul Bose, the apex hospitality body issued an advisory to its members on ways to handle such situations with guests.

From Tablet To Notebook—Ten iPad OS Features To Look Forward To

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It is not officially here for all iPad users, but the next major software update the iPad is a major overhaul. It takes Apple’s tablet out of iOS and gives it an OS of its own, called iPad OS. The new operating system is expected to be released to the public in mid-September or early October, and could bring the iPad closer to being a notebook replacement than ever before.

There are many features that make the new iPad OS a compelling upgrade, but these ten stand out in particular.

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Turn your iPad into a second display

Perhaps the most spectacular feature of iPad OS is the rather appropriately named Sidecar. It makes the iPad a second display to a Mac machine. You connect the two devices (which can be done either wirelessly or with a cable) and you have two displays to work on. You can choose for your iPad to show exactly the same content as on your Mac or can make it an extension of it, in essence giving you one huge display spread across two devices. You can use the Apple Pencil to edit and create content on the iPad and these changes will  be seen on the Mac as well. You can even drag and drop elements from one display to the other. 

Plug a USB device into your iPad

Until now, connecting another device to your iPad has been tricky. That will change with the new iPad OS. With it, iPads will now support external storage devices, meaning you can plug flash drives and hard drives into your iPad and see their contents in the Files app, without needing any third party app.

Widgets come to the iPad home screen

The iPad’s somewhat static home screen gets a makeover with iPad OS. You can now pin your favourite widgets to the main home screen, allowing you to get updates on information like the weather and news updates at a glance without having to open an app, or swipe to the right from the landing screen (as you have to do now). The home screen layout has also been refined, with Apple claiming that icons are arranged in a tighter grid, allowing you a better view. 

More gestures

The iPad will get a much more gesture based interface with the arrival of iPad OS, letting you carry out tasks without having to invoke menus. So for instance, to copy text, you just need to highlight the text, and then pinch inwards with three fingers. To paste, just reverse the gesture. And if you want to undo recently typed text, just swipe with three fingers to the left. On the other hand, to redo some recently erased text, just swipe with three fingers to the right. Highlighting text is such easier as well—just swipe from the beginning of the text to the end. You do not need  to tap and hold for the highlighting to begin as it does now.

Multi tasking improvements

You can also now stack up to five applications in Slide Over mode, and view and access them with just a swipe from wherever you are working. You can also simply see all the applications you have kept in Slide Over on one screen by swiping up from the base of the iPad. That is a huge step forward from just being able to keep just one application active in the current Slide Over functionality in iOS 12. 

Drag the cursor and keyboard anywhere you want

At present, if you wish to move the cursor from its current location, you have no option but to tap at the new location to which you wish to move it, which can be a little hit and miss. With iPad OS, you can literally drag the cursor from its existing location to the new one. And this dragging and dropping is not limited to the cursor. You can do the same with the keyboard—pinch inwards to make it smaller (to the size of the iPhone keyboard) and then drag it to any location that is convenient for you to type on. 

Two windows in the same app

What do you do if you wish to work on two files within the same application—say two photographs or two word documents? Right now, you have no choice but to keep switching between the two files and use them one after the other. In iPad OS, thanks to what Apple calls “Apps in Multiple Spaces”, you will be able to use them right next to each other in the same space. So you actually can compare them and even move information from one to the other.

Manage downloads 

One of the biggest complaints about the iPad (and indeed the iPhone) has been the fact that the default browser, Safari, does not come with a download manager. So you had no way of knowing if and indeed where a file was being downloaded on the device. That changes with iPad OS which gives Safari a download manager, allowing you to keep track of the files that you download. You can even keep working on something else while the file downloads in the background. 

Zip and unzip files

There’s great news for those who have to deal with sending and receiving large files on their iPads. With iPad OS, you will be able to both zip and unzip files. You can now compress large files, or open compressed files that have been sent to you. It’s perfect if you work with lots of large files.

Connect a mouse

It is not exactly a feature Apple is showcasing at the moment, but you can connect a mouse to the iPad. It is placed as an Accessibility option, but it does allow you to move a cursor around and select and move content. What’s more, it is believed to work with both wired and wireless mouses, which should be very useful to people who rely on the mouse a lot for their work.

Karnataka Floods: Yediyurappa’s Challenges Are Just Beginning

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Bengaluru, KARNATAKA: When B.S. Yediyurappa  took charge as Karnataka chief minister on 26 July after the fall of the Congress-JD(S) government,  the biggest challenges he faced were political: allotting cabinet berths in a way that satisfied as many BJP leaders as possible, and rehoming the 17 disqualified ‘rebel’ Congress-JD(S) MLAs.

But all that is on hold now as the state battles heavy floods that have killed more than 40 people and displaced lakhs.     

After camping for two days in the national capital, on August  6 and 7, Yediyurappa flew back to Bengaluru and immediately began a tour of districts in north Karnataka, where he stayed for four days. Since he was sworn in alone, he doesn’t have any ministers to whom he can allocate work.

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His preoccupation with the flood rehabilitation operations has put a temporary hold to the lobbying by cabinet berth aspirants. The few voices of dissent have been from the Congress and JD(S), who have alleged that the chief minister is functioning as a one-man army.

While taking off on tours to drought or flood-hit areas is not new for the 76-year-old, the magnitude of the disaster seems to have rattled him. Over the weekend, two union ministers, Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman also visited Belagavi, one of the worst-affected districts.

Briefing the media on August 10 after his North Karnataka tour, Yediyurappa said the state has not encountered such a situation in  the last 45 years and that the estimated loss is Rs 6,000 crore.

Who will get what?

Once the rain fury has abated, the new chief minister will have to get back to addressing the brass tacks of administration. He has said that cabinet expansion will only happen after 16 August. 

While the composition of the cabinet will have the stamp of the party’s central leadership, the CM will have to dust up the BJP’s manifesto from the May 2018 assembly polls.

Speaking to HuffPost India, BJP state spokesperson Vaman Acharya  said the CM’s priorities will be presenting the budget and review of ongoing programmes. In his budget presentation for 2019-2020, Yediyurappa’s predecessor  H.D. Kumaraswamy had sought a vote-on-account for four months upto July 31, which has now been extended for another three months. After taking charge, Yediyurappa had directed the heads of all departments to put on hold the decisions  taken by Kumaraswamy as care-taker CM in July.

“It’s after many years that Karnataka has the privilege  of the same government at the centre and the state. This will help Karnataka in expediting clearances of the projects,” said Acharya. 

While it is not out of the normal for new governments to replace officers in the top slots, the transfers and postings made by Yediyurappa in the last 18 days have drawn flak from opposition parties

With cow vigilantism high in the coastal districts, Acharya hinted that the government may repeal the Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, which governs the slaughter of cattle in  Karnataka. In 2010, the Yediyurappa government had brought an amendment to this Act, which was scrapped by the Siddaramaiah government in 2013, restoring the original Act.

The  1964 Act allows slaughter of  bulls, bullocks and buffaloes, if they are aged above 12 years and are no longer fit for breeding or  to yield milk. The BJP government had formed a Commission for Protection and Conservation of Cow and its Progeny in 2012, while the amended Bill was awaiting the  President’s assent. The Siddaramaiah government scrapped the Commission and entrusted the task to the Animal Welfare Board. 

While it is not out of the normal for new governments to replace officers in the top slots, the transfers and postings made by Yediyurappa in the last 18 days have drawn flak from opposition parties. The biggest example is the replacement of Bengaluru police commissioner Alok Kumar, who had taken charge just a month ago, with Bhaskar  Rao.

Soon after the transfer, three audio clips leaked to the media refer to the jockeying for the prestigious police commissioner’s post, and seem to feature a power broker in a telephonic conversation with a police officer of the rank of  ADGP, giving details of his meeting with a senior Congress leader in New Delhi. The officer asks whether the power broker has succeeded in convincing the Congress leader to appoint him as the police commissioner. While reports say the conversation dates back around 6 months, HuffPost India could not verify the authenticity of the clips. Rao has now ordered an inquiry into the leaked tapes.

The biggest challenge for Yediyurappa is to take care of the 17 disqualified rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs

 

KPCC president  Dinesh Gundurao has also raised concerns about  the BJP government replacing the Indira canteens, started during Siddaramaiah’s regime, with Mukhya Mantri Annapoorna canteens.

While all these  administrative  decisions will take a while to be announced, the biggest challenge for Yediyurappa is to take care of the 17 disqualified rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs. “They have reposed political trust in us,  the BJP has to now ensure they are reelected,” said Acharya.

Even this won’t be an easy task.

According to a senior BJP legislator, if any cabinet berths are left vacant for the disqualified MLAs, it will upset many senior BJP leaders.

“This is a government which has been formed on the political ambitions and compulsions of Yediyurappa. If things don’t  work out, the central leadership will pull the plug and go for elections, as the situation is favourable for the party,” he  added.

If You Spot Virat Kohli Dancing On The Cricket Field, This Is Why

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PORT-OF-SPAIN — Virat Kohli doesn’t want captaincy to come in the way of enjoying his cricket and the India skipper says that’s the reason why he can be often seen shaking a leg on field of play to any sound of music in the vicinity.

Kohli was recently seen dancing to Caribbean tunes, along with Chris Gayle and a groundsman, during the rain break in the first ODI against the West Indies.

“I am in a good headspace so whenever I hear music, I feel like dancing,” Kohli told Yuzvendra Chahal after the second ODI in a video posted by BCCI.tv.

“I just want to enjoy myself on the field. Doesn’t matter if I am the captain or not, I don’t want to get into a typical mould that I have to stand in a particular manner.

“God has given us such a wonderful life and opportunity to play for the country, so I think it is important to enjoy these small moments.”

Kohli scored a 125-ball 120 to set up India’s 59-run win over West Indies in the second ODI and the India skipper said he was tired midway due to the challenging conditions at Queen’s Park Oval.

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“It was challenging today as it rained in day time, so it was hot and humid. Honestly, I was tired when I reached the score of 65, but the situation demanded me to work hard for the team,” Kohli said.

“It was important for me to stay at the crease. As a team, we try that one of our top three batsmen goes on to play a big knock. Shikhar and Rohit have done that for us in the past, but today they couldn’t score so it was important one should go on to score a big innings.”

After scoring a superb ton, the India skipper also pulled off a one-handed catch to dismiss opener Evin Lewis.

“I have this mindset that I always want to work hard for my team, if there is an important catch or run out, I want to do it all,” he said.

“So I think all players need to have that discipline that you can give your 100 percent on the field, or else, you can’t do justice to your team. I do everything possible so that I can contribute to the team in everything.

“I have changed my lifestyle, training and diet in such a way that I am able to contribute in any way possible for the team even in tough weather conditions. It all helps on such days when the conditions are tough.” 

K-Pop Band BTS Announce 'Extended Break' To Live More Normal Lives

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K-pop superstars BTS have announced they they are going on an “extended” break to “recharge” and live more normal lives. 

Since forming in 2013, the South Korean group have become one of the world’s most popular bands, recently became the first group from their country to score a UK number one album.

BTS on The Graham Norton Show earlier this year

However, their management, Big Hit Entertainment, has announced they will be taking time out of the intense spotlight they have been in, asking fans to show them “consideration for their need to rest” if they should encounter them during this period.

Posting a statement on Twitter, they said: “We would like to announce that for the first time since their debut, BTS will be going on an official and extended period of rest and relaxation.

“Today’s LOTTE DUTY FREE FAMILY CONCERT performance will make the last scheduled event before members prepare to take their vacations.

“This period of rest will be an opportunity for the members of BTS, who have relentlessly driven themselves towards their goal since their debut, to recharge and prepare to present themselves anew as musicians and creators.

“This will also provide them with a chance to enjoy the ordinary lives of young people in their 20s, albeit briefly.”

The message went on: “During this time, the members will rest and recharge in their own personal ways.

“Should you have a chance encounter with a member of BTS while they are on vacation, we ask that you show consideration for their need to rest and enjoy their private time off.”

They insisted the group – consisting of V, Jungkook, Jimin, Suga, Jin, RM, and J-Hope – would be reforming, adding: “BTS will return refreshed and recharged to return all the love you have an continue to show them. Thank you.”

After the boys landed their first UK number one album, Map Of The Soul: Persona, in April, they went on to play two sold-out shows at Wembley Arena, and appeared as guests on the most recent series of Britain’s Got Talent.

Their Boy With Luv music video also broke the YouTube record for most views in 24 hours when it was unveiled in April, prompting some fans to speculate why it wasn’t more widely recognised at the upcoming VMAs.

Beautycon Incident Is Just The Latest From Repeat-Offender Priyanka Chopra

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Actor Priyanka Chopra has been getting a lot of hate on social media over her response to a Pakistani woman who criticised her for a tweet after the Balakot strike, at a Beautycon event in Los Angeles. 

What happened?

The audience member, Ayesha Malik, questioned the actor’s role as a United Nations Goodwill ambassador in light of her 26 February tweet where she congratulated the Indian Air Force after the Balakot strike in Pakistan.

“So it was kind of hard hearing you talk about humanity, because as your neighbour, a Pakistani, I know you’re a bit of a hypocrite,” the woman can be heard saying in a video of the incident. “Because you tweeted on 26 February ‘Jai Hind #IndianArmedForces’. You are a UNICEF ambassador for peace and you are encouraging nuclear war against Pakistan. There is no winner in this.”

“As a Pakistani, millions of people like me have supported you in your business...,” she can be heard saying before the mic is taken away from her. 

What Chopra said

Chopra, in the video, can be heard beginning her reply with, “Whenever you are done venting!”

“I have many, many friends from Pakistan and I am from India. War is not something I’m really fond of but I am patriotic, so I’m sorry if I hurt sentiments to people who do love me and have loved me,” she responded, according to PTI.

“But I think that all of us have a, sort of, middle ground that we all have to walk. Just like you probably do as well. The way that you came at me right now... girl, don’t yell. We’re all here for love,” she added.

Malik says Chopra ‘gaslit’ her

In a tweet later, Malik said, “Hi, I’m the girl that “yelled” at Chopra. It was hard listening to her say, “we should be neighbours and love each other”—swing that advice over to your PM. Both India and Pakistan were in danger. And instead she tweeted out in favour for nuclear war.”

Chopra will be awarded the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award by UNICEF’s American chapter in December.

Twitter hasn’t responded kindly to the mic being snatched away from Malik, as well as Chopra’s response. 

Other controversies

The incident is the latest in a series of controversies faced by Chopra over the years.

Last year, Chopra responded with an apology for an episode of her American show Quantico (which showed her character foil a terror plot by “Indian nationalists”), after she was trolled for being anti-India. Chopra and the show’s response was called out for bowing to pressure and responding to selective criticism, when it has frequently portrayed Muslims as terrorists in its plotlines. The episode did not air in India.

In 2016, the actor was accused of being insensitive to the refugee crisis and ignoring her own privilege after she appeared on the Indian edition of Conde Nast Traveler magazine, wearing a t-shirt that struck off the words “refugee,” “immigrant” and “outsider” and ended with “traveller”. She apologised for that as well. 

In 2017, she was asked about endorsing skin lightening creams in the past — at a time when she was often highlighting her experience as a brown person living in the US — but she did not quite offer an apology for contributing to India’s problematic obsession with skin colour.

Chopra received backlash for using prosthetics and VFX to physically change her appearance to look like Manipuri boxer Mary Kom in the 2014 biopic.


Hong Kong Airport Cancels Flights As Thousands Of Protesters Crowd Terminal

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Anti-extradition bill protesters wave flags with Chinese calligraphy that reads

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s airport cancelled all flights on Monday, with authorities blaming demonstrators for the disruption of one of the world’s busiest terminals, a dramatic escalation of anti-government protests that have roiled the Asian financial hub.

At the same time a Chinese official in Beijing warned signs of “terrorism” were emerging. China’s People’s Armed Police also assembled in the neighbouring city of Shenzhen for exercises, the state-backed Global Times newspaper said.

Both moves lift the stakes sharply after a weekend of skirmishes between police and activists, in which both sides appeared to boost their resolve with new tactics.

Some of the 5,000 activists occupying the airport’s arrivals hall for the fourth day went to the departure area and caused disruptions, Hong Kong police told a news conference but declined to say if they would move to clear the demonstrators.

Traffic to and from the airport was severely affected.

“Airport operations at Hong Kong International Airport have been seriously disrupted ... all flights have been cancelled,” the city’s airport authority said in a statement.

“All passengers are advised to leave the terminal buildings as soon as possible.”

Roads to the airport were congested and car parks were full, the authority said.

Protesters stage a sit-in protest at the Hong Kong International Airport, Monday, Aug. 12, 2019. 

The increasingly violent protests have plunged the Chinese-ruled territory into its most serious crisis in decades, presenting Chinese leader Xi Jinping with one of his biggest popular challenges since he came to power in 2012.

Monday’s cancellation came as China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office said the city had reached a critical juncture and after police had made a show of demonstrating a powerful water cannon.

The protests began in opposition to a bill allowing extradition to the mainland but have widened to highlight other grievances, drawing broad support.

Over the weekend, as demonstrators threw up barricades across the city, police shot volleys of tear gas into crowded underground train stations for the first time, and fired bean-bag rounds at close range.

Scores of protesters were arrested, sometimes after being beaten with batons and bloodied by police. Police have arrested more than 600 people since the unrest began more than two months ago.

Tear gas was fired at the blackshirted crowds in districts on Hong Kong island, Kowloon and the New Territories, with one young female medic hospitalised after being shot in the right eye, triggering a protest by medical workers.

Hong Kong’s protesters have been frequently using extremely dangerous tools to attack the police in recent days, constituting serious crimes with sprouts of terrorism emerging,” said Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office spokesman Yang Guang.

Hong Kong has come to a critical juncture. All those who care about Hong Kong’s future, must firmly come out and say no to all violent behavior, say no to all violent people.”

Protesters gather near a flights information board during a protest at the Hong Kong International Airport, Monday, Aug. 12, 2019. 

AIRPORT SIT-IN

At the airport, thousands of activists have occupied the arrivals hall for days.

Wearing black, the mostly young protesters have chanted slogans “No rioters, only tyranny!” and “Liberate Hong Kong!” while politely approaching travelers with flyers describing their demands and explaining the unrest.

The airport is the world’s busiest air cargo port and the 8th busiest by passenger traffic, says the Airports Council International (ACI), a global association.

Demonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the “one country, two systems” arrangement enshrining some autonomy for Hong Kong when China took it back from Britain in 1997.

They are demanding the resignation of the city’s leader, Carrie Lam, and an independent investigation into the handling of the protests.

Authorities have called the citywide demonstrations illegal and dangerous, while highlighting their impact on the already-faltering economy and residents’ daily lives.

Beijing says criminals and agitators are stirring violence, encouraged by “interfering” foreign powers, including Britain.

China is also putting pressure on big companies, such as Cathay Pacific Airways, whose shares tumbled to close to a 10-year low on Monday, after it was told to suspend staff engaged in illegal protests.

BE WATER OR FACE WATER

Monday’s escalation came after police put the water cannon through its paces, showing it had enough strength to force dummy targets back at distances of 30 to 40 meters (33 to 44 yards), but drawing a rebuke from rights group Amnesty International.

“Water cannons are not a toy for the Hong Kong police to deploy as a sign of strength,” Man-kei Tam, the group’s Hong Kong director, said in a statement.

“These are powerful weapons that are inherently indiscriminate and have the potential of causing serious injury and even death.”

As police have dialled up their aggression, protesters have sought to channel a Bruce Lee maxim: “Be water,” employing a flash-mob strategy to frustrate authorities and stretch their resources.

(Writing by Farah Master and Tom Westbrook; Editing by James Pomfret and Clarence Fernandez)

Game Of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel Compares Show Ending To Break-Up

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Game Of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel has compared the end of the fantasy series to “going through a break up”. 

The actress, who played Missandei, admitted she hasn’t felt like she’s been ready to take up other projects since the show ended earlier this year. 

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Nathalie said: “When that ended, it was almost like going through a breakup.

“When other shows had kind of come along… that needed a six-year option, I was like, ‘I’m not ready!’ It’s like I’m still sleeping in my old boyfriend’s jumper at night.”

Nathalie Emmanuel played Missandei on Game Of Thrones

She added: “I’m not ready for a new jumper. I’m not ready to date again! It was that sort of feeling.”

Nathalie previously responded to the fan backlash to the final series, admitting she was irked by the online petition to have the final series remade “with competent writers”. 

Speaking to TV Line, Nathalie said: “Listen, I think it’s totally fine if you don’t like something. That’s perfectly acceptable.

“What I didn’t like was that people were signing a petition. You can’t ask for receipts on art. You just can’t. The art has been created for you, and you can either choose to like it or not.”

Nathalie added that she was “blown away” by the finale, saying: “[It was] a hard plane to land. I don’t think people quite realise the undertaking and the amount of manpower it took to do that.”

Nathalie previously spoke out about the controversial fan petition to rewrite the final series

Her comments came after bosses finally addressed the Change.org petition, which was signed by over a million people. 

The president of HBO – the network on which the show airs in the US – claimed that remaking the final series is “not something we seriously considered”.

The petition was set up before the controversial final episode had even aired, following Daenerys’ decision to torch the city of King’s Landing, with many fans claiming it was a betrayal of her character.

Many other members of the show’s cast have spoken out against it, with Sophie Turner, who played Sansa Stark, branding it “disrespectful”, while Bran Stark actor Isaac Hempstead Wright also called it “ridiculous” and “absurd”, while Jacob Anderson – aka Grey Worm – called it “insulting”.

Why You Can't Sleep Without A Blanket Or Sheet, Even If It's Hot AF

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Getting (and staying) asleep during oven-hot weather can sometimes feel like more work than, well, your job. You know an easy solution to staying cool and sleeping better would be to toss your covers ― yet no matter how sweaty and uncomfortable you get, you can’t bring yourself to go entirely free of a sheet or blanket.

You might drench yourself in cold water before getting underneath, or wrap one leg over the top, or blast a fan directly at your side of the bed. You might even feel brave enough to sleep with the back half of your body exposed (while your front half hangs on tight). But get rid of that top covering entirely? That’s crazy talk.

Why is sleeping without the covers such a dealbreaker, even though it could improve the quality of your sleep exponentially? Glad you asked.

Blankets and sheets are usually a handy sleep accessory ...

“Our circadian rhythm is tied to temperature, and a drop in core body temperature happens right before sleep,” explained Ellen Wermter, a board-certified family nurse practitioner in Charlottesville, Virginia, and a spokesperson for the Better Sleep Council.

Your temperature continues to fall throughout the night. It’s your body’s way of conserving energy so it can be redirected to other systems like digestion. 

Sheets and blankets keep your body temp from dropping too low and waking you up, which gives your innards the chance to complete their restorative processes sans interruption.

... But during hot weather, not so much.

When it’s sweltering, our covers ritual can work against us. For one thing, even a sheet in hot weather traps the heat against your body. “When you’re already warm, it drives the temperature up further and creates an under-the-covers steam oven,” Wermter said.

Because the natural drop in body temp right before sleep is a cue that it’s time to sleep, temps that are too warm trick your brain into thinking it’s time to be active, not rest.

And even if you do manage to fall asleep, odds are you won’t stay that way. “Your core temperature is likely to rise high enough to wake you as your body works to cool itself,” Wermter said. This fragments your sleep.

Breaking up with the covers isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Much like the initial drop in body temperature is a cue for sleep, so too is pulling the covers up over your tired body. (Experts call these cues “sleep onset associations.”) “It’s part of your routine, and without it, your brain feels that something is missing and may find it difficult to relax,” Wermter said.

Plus, it’s a comfort thing.

During REM, or rapid eye movement, periods of sleep, your serotonin levels decrease. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter best known for encouraging feelings of calm, said Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist and adjunct professor at New York’s Columbia University.

The use of blankets, especially weighted ones, is associated with higher levels of serotonin, meaning they can help us sleep better. It may be that the heaviness of the bedding causes deep pressure stimulation that activates the parasympathetic nervous system, potentially increasing dopamine (another mood-boosting neurotransmitter) and serotonin levels in some individuals, Wermter explained.

So if ditching the covers may, paradoxically, cause you to lose just as much sleep during hot weather as keeping it on, what’s the best course of action? Here’s how experts suggest you adjust your bedding game to stay cool, dry and well-rested.

Take a hot shower before bed.

“When you rapidly heat your body in the shower, you trigger your natural thermoregulation process,” said neuroscientist Chelsie Rohrscheib, a sleep expert in Australia and member of the Sleep Cycle Institute

In other words, the water on your skin evaporates after the shower, cooling your core down lightning-fast and telling your brain that it’s bedtime. The result? Your covers will feel more like a cozy oasis and less like a pressure cooker.

Go lighter in stages.

If going from a heavier blanket to nothing at all is too much of a jolt, gradually lighten your covers over the course of several nights.

“This gives your brain time to adjust to the weight difference as you swap your blankets out for ones that are thinner and breathe more easily,” Wermter said.

Or layer your bedding and adjust what covers you on an as-needed basis each night.

Sleep in your skivvies.

Pajamas can trap heat and be difficult to remove in the middle of the night without disrupting your sleep, Wermter said. Enter your underwear ― or even your birthday suit ― instead.

Invest in a cooling pillow.

Your brain temperature needs to drop by 1 or 2 degrees before you can fall asleep, Rohrscheib said. In hot environments, this can be a tricky feat. Cooling pillows are a convenient way to speed up the process, as well as to increase the likelihood that you’ll stay asleep.

Try a cooling weighted blanket ...

“They’re designed to keep you cool without losing the sensory benefits of a thicker weighted blanket,” Hafeez said. Made from lightweight, soft-brushed cotton sheeting, cooling weighted blankets give off that cozy flannel vibe without trapping heat.

... Or a lycra compression sheet.

These can give you the cocoon feeling you crave without the bulk and heat of a heavier blanket, according to experts.

Bamboo blankets can help too.

“Bamboo blankets are cozy, yet still move heat away from your body,” Hafeez said.

Snuggle up to a specialized body pillow.

A so-called clone pillow uses shredded memory foam and a removable cooling gel layer to keep your body from roasting, Hafeez said. It’s also covered with a cotton pillowcase, a fabric famous for allowing your skin to breathe.

Uncover your feet.

Research suggests that keeping your feet cool ― say, by sticking them in cold water before bed or poking them out from under the covers ― can help lower your overall body temperature. 

Give yourself some space.

Sleeping close to your partner can amp up the heat index, Wermter said. If your mattress is big enough, give yourselves enough room to better regulate your individual body temperatures.

Kashmir Situation Now: How International Media And Govt Differ In Their Accounts

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Kashmiris attend a protest in Srinagar on 12 August.

Reports of protests and police using pellet guns to quell them have begun trickling in from Jammu and Kashmir a few days after the government abrogated Article 370

But the Modi government has been at pains to establish that the situation in Kashmir is normal, and that people are happy at the shock move to withdraw the special status accorded to the state for decades. This has taken various forms such as releasing videos of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval speaking to people who don’t even recognise him and pliant TV channels undertaking campaigns to prove that that any version challenging the government’s is “anti-India”.

This, however, is at odds with the stories published by some Indian media organisations, as well as foreign ones such as BBC and Reuters. While BBC and Al-Jazeera have released videos of demonstrations taking place in Srinagar, the government has dismissed them as “fabricated”.

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What did foreign media say?

BBC, Reuters and Al-Jazeera have reported on protests erupting in Srinagar and police using tear gas and opening fire to disperse the crowd.

A Reuters report from 9 August quoted a police official and two witnesses as saying that “police used tear gas and pellets” to fight back at least 10,000 people in Srinagar protesting the scrapping of special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

This was followed by another demonstration on Sunday in Srinagar, Reuters reported. Protesters, according to the report, carried a large banner with the words “Save Article 35A”.

Quoting sources, an Al-Jazeera report also said security forces have “fired tear gas and shot live rounds in the air to disperse mass protests” in Kashmir. The report said that the footage obtained by Al-Jazeera also showed demonstrators carrying black flags and placards saying “We want freedom” and “Abrogation of Article 370 is not acceptable”.

BBC also put out a video on Saturday saying, “Thousands of people took to the streets in Srinagar after Friday prayers, in the largest demonstration since a lockdown was imposed”. 

BBC South Asia Bureaux Chief Nicola Careem tweeted:

What has the government said?

The Ministry of Home Affairs has rejected the Reuters report, calling it “fabricated and incorrect”.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police also released a statement requesting people “not to believe fabricated and motivated news”, while adding that “no firing incident has taken place in Kashmir over six days”.

The police statement also said that the “situation is calm, people are cooperative and restrictions are being relaxed to ease the situation”.

The government, according to The Economic Times, has contacted Al-Jazeera and BBC over the videos, saying that the news was “fabricated” and asking if they have any evidence to prove that the videos were real.

Reports by Safwat Zargar for HuffPost India and Siddharth Varadarajan for The Wire on the spike in victims of pellet gun injuries at the Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar also show that the government has been using force to suppress protests.   

Is The BJP Involved In The Zomato Beef-Pork Controversy? It's Complicated

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On 31 July 2019, Zomato stood up to a user who demanded that the food delivery service allow customers to choose the religion of their delivery agents. Twitter user @NaMo_SARKAAR claimed he was cancelling his order, and deleting the Zomato app, as his delivery agent was a “Muslim fellow”. 

Zomato tweeted back saying “Food has no religion. It is a religion”. 

Four days later, on August 5, a Zomato team leader in Kolkata gathered all his delivery agents in an open field outside their office in Howrah and told them their pay would be slashed. Where workers were once getting Rs 60 per delivery, they would now get only Rs 25 per delivery. Targets were mounting and pay kept decreasing.

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According to a delivery agent HuffPost India spoke to, they were anyway not getting any provident fund, employee state insurance or accident insurance. Much like Ola and Uber drivers, food delivery agents are not hired as full-time employees, but as contractors, frequently referred to by the companies as “driver partners”. 

“We told them that we cannot work for such a low pay and went on a strike immediately,” Brij Verma, a Zomato delivery agent present at the meeting told HuffPost India. 

The worker protest was largely ignored by the media until Verma approached a man called Sanjeev Kumar Shukla, whose profile on Facebook lists him as “in-charge bjp membership programme and secretary BJP UTTAR HOWRAH MANDAL 2.”

Shukla, Verma said, helped arrange a press conference on August 12, where some delivery agents, including Verma, told the ANI news service they were on strike because Zomato was forcing them to deliver beef and pork dishes in violation of their religious beliefs. The ANI clip went viral, Twitter blew up, and suddenly Zomato was in the news again.

“A few days ago, Zomato said, food has no religion,” Shukla told HuffPost India over the phone. “We want to say, delivery boys have religion, right? What about that?” He added, “We are demanding that they be made proper employees, instead of delivery partners.” 

The Zomato controversy is symbolic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second term in office: As the economy bottoms out, wages stagnate and millions of desperate young Indians find themselves caught in dead-end, low-paid jobs; the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sought to shore up support by using any available lever to pit Indians against each other.  

Shukla asked, “If someone gives you beef, will you hold it? How will you feel?” He also insisted a Hindu is a Hindu first, whatever his or her vocation. “When you go for an interview, you say (your Hindu) name, in official forms you mention Hindu as your religion, you are a Hindu at birth,” Shukla said. 

Meanwhile, young workers have realised that the establishment only listens to their demands — however just — when articulated in the combustible language of religious belief. 

If the first wave of the BJP’s cultural war affected the informal farm economy and allied industries like meat, dairy and leather, the Zomato controversy shows its effects are now increasingly being felt in the organised economy as well. Analysts say companies are now increasingly worried that perfectly legitimate businesses and products — like Kolkata’s famous beef biryani — are being targeted by a small vocal minority that enjoys the clear support of the ruling party.

While Shukla, the BJP worker, insists the Zomato protest is completely non-political and that he is, in fact, “a social worker”; it is clear that the fingerprints of the BJP are all over this protest. Yet, this is not to say that the protest was created by the party.

Rumours fall short of Real

On 5 August, the day that Zomato delivery agent Brij Verma’s team leader said delivery commissions were being slashed, Verma claims he also told them they could not refuse to deliver any particular food items. 

Verma claims he also received a message on his delivery app to that effect, but was unable to share a copy of this message. Meanwhile, a rumour spread that Zomato was adding “2 or 3” restaurants that would be selling beef or pork.

“Yeh technical ka zamana hai. We opened that app and there was a beef restaurant there,” he told HuffPost India, trying to explain how he came to know of the ‘beef restaurant’. 

Verma insists that the pay cut and the news about the beef restaurant which was added in the Zomato roster happened the same day. He clearly said that no issue followed the other and they took both up simultaneously. 

“I opened the app, and the restaurant was there,” Verma insisted.

When asked to name the restaurants, Verma mentioned one called “Real”. While such a restaurant does exist, it isn’t on the Zomato delivery app. The restaurant is in Howrah’s Salkia neighbourhood, where Sanjeev Kumar Shukla—the BJP worker who took the Zomato protest viral—lives, according to his Facebook profile. 

“There is one restaurant, its name is Real. They will supply beef items,” Shukla told HuffPost India in an interview. “It is coming up on Zomato.”

Yet, when HuffPost India called up the Real restaurant, the owners denied any plans of signing up on Zomato. And most importantly, it’s not a new restaurant. 

“This restaurant has been around for nearly 20 years, a few years here and there,” the owner’s son told HuffPost India. He confirmed they did serve beef and, yes, their beef biryani was popular.

Verma claimed that after they started protesting, the listing of the ‘beef restaurant disappeared’. “They have deleted it now, after all this started happening,” he said.

On 6 August, the plot thickened. Verma, the delivery agent, said a ‘friend’ told him that “pepperoni” was made from “pig fat and pig flesh”. “We are not very educated. If we were, would we be delivery boys?” he said, 

“We don’t understand English very well, so we have been delivering that thing now, we don’t want to deliver. There was Pizza Hut around for so long, we were delivering all this,” Verma said. He added, 80 people went on strike on 5 August and 200 backed them. 

“Now only 20% of the staff strength is working in North Howrah,” Verma told HuffPost India. This number has not been independently confirmed, and Zomato has stated that a small number of workers are on strike. 

The pepperoni revelation brought fresh energy to the strike. 

“The company is not listening to our demands and forcing us to deliver beef and pork against our will,” an agent called Mohsin Akhtar told ANI. “Hindus have a problem is delivering beef while Muslims do not want to deliver pork.”

“We are not ready to deliver such things on any condition. We are forced to deliver such things,” Akhtar continued, before finally mentioning the issue that had sparked their protest in the first place. “The company has also rolled back our payout. We have been on strike for a week now.”

Yet, this is not to say that one set of demands around the pay-cut are “real” and those around religion are “fake”. Worker protests are inherently performative: by clubbing the rumours around beef and pork with the pay cuts,  the workers sought to portray the company as both economically exploitative, and insensitive to their religious beliefs.

Verma said he approached Shukla for help and is grateful for his guidance. While he refused to mention being a part of any political party, his Facebook profile shows videos of him participating in a BJP rally. “So many people are protesting, each of them follow some party of the other. But this protest is about us delivery boys, not any party,” he said.

Controversies are likely to recur

Zomato, in a statement, the company said “a small group of partners” have raised concerns and they were looking to resolve the issue.

“In a country as diverse as India, it is impossible to ensure that vegetarian and non-vegetarian preferences are factored into delivery logistics. Delivery partners are unequivocally made to understand the practical nature of the job as they choose to enter the workforce,” the company said. 

“All our partners understand this fully. There is a small group of partners in Howrah who have raised concerns and we are looking to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”

Satish Meena, a senior analyst with Forrester Research said such controversies would likely recur.

“Brands want to cater to people by taking the high moral ground, but it’s not easy to do that without getting backlash,” said Meena said. “Nike did it in the US with Colin Kaepernick but they were in a position where they could take the backlash. Our customer is not so mature, and the startups don’t have the history that will allow them to take the heat.”

Yet, much like Nike’s support for Kaepernick appears at odds with the company’s much criticised track record on work wages, Zomato appears well placed to ride out the current controversy — but only in the short term.

“These issues might garner attention, but the scale of logistics in India — not just for food delivery, but e-commerce and other industries, means that there are so many people doing deliveries that incentives and benefits are now real issues that matter to the workers, and these will continue to become bigger issues as the scale grows,” Meena added.

If the economy continues to tank and the BJP continues to channel all frustration through the prism of religious conflict, things could get much worse before they get better.

The Funniest Memes From Modi's 'Man vs Wild' Episode With Bear Grylls

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The episode of Bear Grylls’ ‘Man Vs Wild’ featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi aired on Monday night and whole a bunch of people watched it with one clear purpose in mind.

MEMES.

Modi appeared on Grylls’s show to promote environmental conservation.  

In the episode, the PM hiked through the forest with Grylls, crossed a river on a makeshift boat and, in the process, provided fodder for a horde of memes. 

Through the course of their conversation, Modi spouted several quotable quotes such as:

“My position never goes to my head”

“My problem is that I have never experienced fear.”

“If I consider this time as a vacation, then I must say I am taking a vacation for the first time in 18 years.”

It led to people having gripes about hearing too much about the man and not enough about the wild.

In fact, many were not sure they saw any bit of the wild in the episode.

Before the episode aired, a host of Cabinet ministers, BJP leaders and celebrities tweeted asking people to watch the show. But a lot of viewers were not sure it lived up to the hype.

The death-defying feats Grylls is known for were missing from this episode.

For some, this moment was the highlight of the episode.

People, including the Congress, also took the opportunity to point out the irony of Modi’s appearance on the show when his government’s record on protecting the environment has been terrible.

You can read more about it below.

US Could Deny Green Card To Immigrants Using Public Benefits

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Making it tougher for legal immigrants to become US citizens, the Trump Administration on Monday said that those seeking public benefits like food stamp or housing assistance could be denied a Green Card, a step below the American citizenship.

The new rule was issued by the Department of Homeland Security specifying that green cards ― legal permanent residency ― would be denied if those seeking it cannot convince the consular officer that they will never use programs that the US government doles out for its citizens.

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It determines that whether an alien is applying for admission or adjustment of status is inadmissible to the country because he or she is likely at any time to become a public charge for availing public assistance schemes like food stamp, Medicaid or housing assistance.

Foreigners looking to come to the US generally have to prove they have enough income to prevent them from becoming a public charge. They would likely face higher income requirements after the new rule takes effect, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In a statement, the White House said this action will help ensure that if aliens want to enter or remain in the US they must support themselves, and not rely on public benefits. 

An alien who receives public benefits above a certain threshold is known as a public charge. 

Foreign nationals will be barred from entering the United States if they are found likely to become public charges. Those migrants in the United States who are found likely to become public charges will also be barred from adjusting their immigration status, the White House said. 

President Trump is enforcing this longstanding law to prevent aliens from depending on public benefit programs, the White House said, adding that the Immigration and Nationality Act makes clear that those seeking to come to the United States cannot be a public charge. 

For many years, this clear legal requirement went largely unenforced, imposing vast burdens on American taxpayers.

The new rule would have the long-term benefit of protecting taxpayers by ensuring people who are immigrating to this country don’t become public burdens, that they can stand on their own two feet, as immigrants in years past have done, Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) told Fox News in an interview.

“President Trump has delivered on his promise to the American people to enforce long-standing immigration law by defining the public charge inadmissibility ground that has been on the books for years, Cuccinelli said.

He said that through the enforcement of the public charge inadmissibility law, “we will promote these long-standing ideals and immigrant success. 

Observing that self-sufficiency has long been a basic principle of our Nation’s immigration laws that has enjoyed widespread support, the White House said public charge has been a part of the US immigration law for more than 100 years as a ground of inadmissibility.

Congress passed and former President Bill Clinton signed two bipartisan bills in 1996 to help stop aliens from exploiting public benefits. This included the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, the White House said in a fact sheet.

As Congress made clear at the time, it is our national policy that aliens should not depend on public resources to meet their needs. 

Americans widely agree that individuals coming to our country should be self-sufficient, with 73 per cent in favour of requiring immigrants to be able to support themselves financially, it said.

We must ensure that non-citizens do not abuse our public benefit programs and jeopardize the social safety net needed by vulnerable Americans, the White House said.

Large numbers of non-citizens and their families have taken advantage of its generous public benefits, limited resources that could otherwise go to vulnerable Americans, it said. 

As many as 78 per cent of households headed by a non-citizen with no more than a high school education use at least one welfare program. 58 per cent of all households headed by a non-citizen use at least one welfare program. Half of all non-citizen headed households include at least one person who uses Medicaid, the White House said.


Houston Is Holding A 'Howdy, Modi' Summit For PM's Speech In September

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Around 40,000 people have registered themselves for Indian-American community summit “Howdy, Modi!” here, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 22 during his visit to the US for the UN General Assembly session, organisers of the event said.

“Howdy”, short for ‘How do you do?’, is a friendly greeting commonly used in southwestern United States.

Attendance to the summit is free, but passes have to be obtained which is now open for public, said the host Texas India Forum, a Houston-based non-profit body, which expects around 50,000 people to attend the prime minister’s address to the Indian diaspora at the sprawling NRG football stadium in the US’ fourth most populous city.

 

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Houston, which has one of the largest concentration of over 5,00,000 Indian-American community in the US, is the energy capital of the world. Energy security is a priority area for the prime minister.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, “I look forward to welcoming PM Modi to Houston, home to one of the biggest and most vibrant Indian communities in the US.” 

“This historic visit will strengthen the already robust bonds between Houston and India on trade, culture and tourism ― all of which benefit every Houstonian.” 

Over 39,000 people have signed up in the first two weeks. There are more than 1,000 volunteers and 650 Welcome Partner organisations for the event, the Texas India Forum said.

According to convener of the organising committee Jugal Malani, before the prime minister’s address, the event, with the tagline ‘Shared Dreams, Bright Futures’, will include a cultural programme that puts a spotlight on Indian-American contributions to the United States.

“We want the entire city of Houston to come enjoy the festivities and learn about Indian-Texan relations,” he said.

This will be Modi’s third major address to the Indian-American community after he became the prime minister in 2014 and the first after his re-election in May.

The previous two were at the Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014 and the Silicon Valley in 2016. Both the events were attended by more than 20,000 people.

US Senator John Cornyn said, “On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Indian-Americans in Texas, and as co-chair of the Senate India Caucus, I welcome Prime Minister Modi to Houston.” 

“India continues to be a key security and economic partner of the United States, and I look forward to seeing that relationship strengthen with his visit to Texas,” he said.

A number group of organisations from a wide spectrum of the Indian diaspora in the United States has mobilised support for the “Howdy, Modi!” event.

Sanjay Ramabhadran, the president of the Texas Lyceum said, “The future of Texas is inextricably tied to global trade and strategic relations. As a Texas-wide leadership group focused on civil discourse on the important policy issues facing our state, we recognise that this visit will be a giant step in further strengthening Texas- India relations on numerous fronts.” 

According to WISERTrade, the US Census Bureau, and the Foreign Trade Division, in 2019 (year to date), India is Houston’s fourth largest trading partner just behind Brazil, China and Mexico.

People Can't Calm Down About Taylor Swift Dancing To Her Own Song

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We don’t know about you, but Taylor Swift is feeling ... pretty damn good. 

The singer threw a party over the weekend in celebration of her whopping 10 MTV Video Music Award nominations, and the resulting footage has, unsurprisingly, gone viral.

Clips of Taylor dancing in a sequinned dress to her own song, You Need To Calm Down, have been circulating and giving fans their “new aesthetic.” 

Taylor’s party, which was held at Los Angeles’ Beauty and Essex, was naturally star-studded and included the likes of Laverne Cox, Hayley Kiyoko and Ru Paul’s Drag Race season 11 contestant A’keria Davenport.

“Drunk Taylor” trended on Twitter as photos and videos of her began circulating, but A’keria tweeted later that Taylor was simply having a good time and wasn’t drunk at all:

Alcohol or not, we need to get on Swift’s level. Here’s what some of her fans had to say about the whole thing: 

 

Fadnavis Govt Faces Fury Over Sub-Par Flood Management

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PUNE, Maharashtra: On Saturday, the BJP posted a video on Twitter in which it claimed that Maharashtra water resources minister Girish Mahajan was swimming to reach a flood-hit village.  

“This is how BJP earns Sabka Vishwas,” it added.

It’s difficult to confirm from the grainy video whether the man circled in red, shown crossing a flooded area, is indeed Mahajan, the same minister who got flak a day ago for smiling, waving and clicking selfies during a boat ride to monitor the flood situation in Kolhapur, one of the three districts in the state that have been worst hit by the deluge. 

Mahajan is not alone in drawing the ire of the opposition, which has sensed an opportunity to corner the state government just months ahead of the assembly elections. 

A week ago, as rains began to ravage western Maharashtra, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was busy with his “Mahajanadesh Yatra”, launched to showcase his government’s achievements, in the eastern part of the state.

When the yatra was finally suspended on August 7, it was to mark the death of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Fadnavis only reached western Maharashtra to review relief efforts on 8 August, after the situation had worsened and over a lakh people had been evacuated to relief camps. 

“He suspended his yatra only after our criticism. But then he involved himself with meetings of plot allocation. It shows how seriously he took it (flood situation),” alleged NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik.

At least 40 people have died and over three lakh been evacuated in the state since August 4. 

Allegations of mismanagement

A series of missteps by the government has led to journalists and residents of Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts taking to social media to express their anger.

When Subhash Deshmukh, senior BJP leader and minister in charge of state cooperative, relief and rehabilitation, visited the submerged areas, he was surrounded by angry residents who interrupted him as he was talking to journalists.

“Your administration is not proper here. You are useless. You are sending boats after four days. Nobody has helped us yet,” local residents told Deshmukh in front of journalists.

The minister was in danger of being roughed up and the cops present at the spot had a tough time getting him away from the area.

And in an incident reminiscent of the controversy during the 2015 Tamil Nadu floods, photos of Fadnavis and BJP MLA Suresh Halvankar on packets of flood relief material also gave the opposition more ammunition.

“What is this government’s priority? To print promotional stickers at the time of floods? They have delayed relief by two days just to print promotional stickers from them. You will kill our people because of your publicity,” alleged Dhananjay Munde, NCP leader and the leader of opposition in Maharashtra legislative council.

A government resolution dated August 7, which said that 10 kg rice and wheat would be provided, but only to those families that were facing floods for more than two days, added to the furore.

“Should people drown themselves in water now to get the relief?” Munde asked, calling the government resolution “Tughlaqi”.

Another government resolution dated August 8 forbade officials from providing relief money in cash and asked them to transfer it directly to bank accounts, but forgot to take into account that almost all banks and ATMs in Kolhapur and Sangli were closed due to the floods.

It’s not just the opposition—Shiv Sena, which never misses a chance to take a potshot at its alliance partner BJP, has also stepped into the fray.

“12 times more rainfall has been witnessed this year. But there were irregularities in the disaster management. Many boats were not working properly. The administration was really careless in this,” Dhairyashil Mane, the Shiv Sena MP from Hatkangale Lok Sabha seat in Kolhapur, told BBC Marathi.

Fadnavis’s defence

The biggest reason the government is being pilloried is for allegedly ignoring rising water levels in dams and rivers in western Maharashtra.

Fadnavis himself has conceded that the flood was caused by the heavy discharge of water from dams in the area after unprecedented rainfall.

But any questions about the administration’s lack of preparation have been shot down.

When some journalists asked him in Sangli why the administration did not act even when numerous media reports pointed out the increasing water levels in the area, Fadnavis replied, “you are absolutely wrong,” almost setting off a skirmish at the press conference.

While dams in western Maharashtra were discharging huge quantities of water, Karnataka’s Almatti dam, situated on the border of Maharashtra, was not letting out equivalent amounts of water.

Fadnavis admitted in his press conferences in Kolhapur and Sangli that less discharge from Almatti, even as dams in Maharashtra were overflowing, resulted in backwaters, which caused floods.

When some local journalists asked him in Sangli why the administration did not act even when numerous media reports pointed out the increasing water levels in the area, Fadnavis replied, “you are absolutely wrong,” almost setting off a skirmish at the press conference.

But he refused to take the blame for not asking Karnataka to release more water, saying that the rainfall was unprecedented.

“I have now spoken to the Karnataka chief minister and he has assured to allow discharge of water upto 5 lakh cusec litres of water from Almatti now,” he told reporters in Sangli on Saturday.

He denied that Mahajan was clicking selfies during flood relief efforts and blamed the weather for the delay in rescue operations.

To a question on why did he not arrive at the affected areas earlier, the CM said that his helicopter was not given permission to land.

While the government is currently on the defensive, it’s anybody’s guess whether the fragmented opposition will be able to capitalise on this ahead of the assembly elections.

Despite infighting and allegations of complacency, the BJP-Shiv Sena combine had managed to win 41 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the general election in May.

 

Monster Hunter World: 10 Things To Do Right Now Before Iceborne Arrives Next Month

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With Monster Hunter World: Iceborne less than a month away, old and new Monster Hunter World players have a lot to look forward to. If you’re looking to get into Monster Hunter World when Monster Hunter World: Iceborne releases next month, you will likely be buying the Master Edition. For older players who already own the base game, now is the best time to prepare for the upcoming expansion to ensure you are ready for what it has to offer going by what Capcom has revealed so far and from my time with both betas.

Finish the Monster Hunter World main story

This is a given but I know a few people who are still in the middle of the main story in the base game. You can’t access the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne story content until you’ve finished the whole main story and the credits have rolled so make sure you get back to it and wrap it up.

Buy and craft the charms and talons

This is something that every single Monster Hunter World player needs to do. Save up a bit of money for this because these items are expensive but super worth it. Once you reach Hunter Rank 6, two new items will be available from the provisions vendor in Astera. The Power Charm and Armor Charm cost 36,000 and 24,000 Zenny each. These will take up a slot in your item loadout but give you a permanent stat boost to both attack and defense. Once you encounter a Bazelgeuse, try and hunt it to get Bazelgeuse Talons. You use one talon to upgrade the Power or Armor Charm to a Power or Armor Talon. These stack with the Charm so you essentially are forfeiting four item slots but the attack and defense boost is massive and you will never look back.

Unlock all mantles

While you gain access to the Ghillie Mantle early on, some of the late game mantles like the Temporal Mantle and even the Iceproof Mantle require you to fulfill certain requirements and do certain quests. Mantles are essential and help out a ton. We know that Monster Hunter World: Iceborne will have upgraded Mantle options so you may as well have everything ready for when Monster Hunter World: Iceborne arrives.

Unlock all palico gadgets

Palico Gadgets are very useful in Monster Hunter World. If you haven’t unlocked them all, make sure to spend time and unlock them. Palico Gadgets like the Plunderblade are essential for farming runs. They have their own requirements but all of them can help you out on hunts. 

Raise your Hunter Rank to 50 

To do this, you will need to keep doing investigations and quests until you hit Hunter Rank 29. At this point, you will be given one of the more interesting quests in the game as an assigned quest. “Beyond the Blasting Scales” is a quest where you need to hunt two tempered Bazelgeuse. Good luck with this one because they hit hard. Once you clear that, your Hunter Rank is unlocked once again until you reach Hunter Rank 49. At this point, you get the “Thunderous Rumble in the Highlands” quest to take on a tempered Kirin. This is one heck of a wall for most players and once you unlock this, you get the final Hunter Rank cap removed and are free to progress without any restrictions. While this not only helps you unlock augmentation, it prepares you for taking on very strong Monsters. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne brings Master Rank (known as G Rank in earlier entries) and going by earlier entries, the monsters will not be a walk in the park at all and will hit hard.

Make sure you do the Event Quests 

Right now, Capcom has a huge festival going on in game with loads of events returning until the end of the month. Some of them are returning after a long time and many of them have huge reward boosts compared to regular investigations and quests. While they will return in the future, now is a fantastic time to try them with many hunters coming back after a break and feeling rusty.

Farm decorations

Decorations will be even more useful in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne since you can also use them in Upgraded Mantles. While “The Greatest Jagras” quest has gone out of rotation, “The Name’s Lavasioth!” event is going on until the end of the month letting you farm to your heart’s content. You need to be Hunter Rank 50 or above for this so keep that in mind. 

Login for daily event bonuses

While the events are going on until later this month, login bonuses feature event specific tickets and fireworks in addition to items. These are only obtainable during events so if you don’t want to actually do any quests, at least login to get the tickets you can use on layered armor later.

Try some of the harder hunts solo

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne has more story content and that means more cutscenes and solo moments where you will either face off on your own initially or be on your own for a good amount of time. Get used to fighting some of the tempered monsters or even tempered Elder Dragons on your own because G / Master Rank monsters are going to be a nice wakeup call for you if you’ve been playing only in multiplayer.

Farm a lot of Monster parts

While armor is mostly going to be useless once you move into Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, weapon related monster parts will be very useful. So far, we’ve seen extensions to current weapon trees meaning you will still need parts for older weapons to upgrade them further in a lot of cases. It would also be useful to have multiple elemental weapons ready if you don’t already have different setups depending on the Monster you are facing.

Bonus: Farm Zenny

Unlock the Bandit Mantle. This is a prerequisite to farming Zenny in Monster Hunter World. As you probably know, armor upgrades aren’t cheap and it is likely that upgrades in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne will be even more expensive. You may as well have the Bandit Mantle and do some Jagras farming so you are swimming in Zenny and ready to not worry about it when Monster Hunter World: Iceborne arrives next month.

The Mako Reactor is your one-stop destination for everything Japanese gaming in India.  

 

Auto Sector's Crisis Deepens As India's Vehicle Sales Falls 31%

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NEW DELHI — India’s domestic passenger vehicle sales fell 30.9% in July, an auto industry body said on Tuesday, marking a ninth straight decline in monthly sales amid a deepening crisis in the autos sector that has triggered massive job losses.

The country’s automakers sold a total of 200,790 passenger vehicles in July, according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). The data also showed that domestic passenger vehicle production was down nearly 17% in the month.

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