Comics Curmudgeon readers! Do you love this blog and yearn for a novel written by its creator? Well, good news: Josh Fruhlinger's The Enthusiast is that novel! It's even about newspaper comic strips, partly. Check it out! Dennis the Menace, 5/9/20 I guess the flavor of mence that’s supposed to be happening here is that […]

My love of french fries is vast and well–documented — preferably in a golden, crisp and glittering-with-fine-salt heap with some aioli, an artichoke or oysters and ice-cold, very dry champagne, outside at a bustling cafe in a life that seems a bit distant right now — so I hope you will take this statement with the utmost gravitas when I say that these crispy potatoes are as good as, if not better, than fries.

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HBO Max streams Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Re:ZERO, In/Spectre, more on May 27

Anime begins streaming on Thursday

The Pine Island glacier has three tipping points that could lead to the collapse of the entire West Antarctic ice sheet, potentially raising sea levels by 3 metres over centuries

The UK government has set a new target of recruiting an army of 18,000 coronavirus contact tracers by the middle of May, to be in place for the launch of the NHS contact tracing app

A fresh look at the world’s oldest religious texts suggests ancient Egyptians saw the sky as a water-filled iron container from which chunks fell to Earth as meteorites

The number at the heart of the decision whether to lift lockdown.

The CEO of a social care firm says there is a surge in demand for live-in carers due to coronavirus.

Since we all are locked indoors for over a month now and cannot do anything about it, all we can do is stalk Instagram and Twitter profiles of Bollywood celebrities and chat with them when they are online. Right from Shah Rukh Khan to Shahid Kapoor, all of them have chatted with fans and now was the turn of Ileana D'Cruz. The one question that stood out was by a fan who asked the actress how to take care of his girlfriend during her period.

It was a tricky question but the actor's reply was in the form of a meme that rightly captured the many moods of a woman during this time. And the conversation didn't end here but proceeded a little further.

The fan then wrote to the actress - "Help me to handle such situations all with my fiancé.... I don't want to hurt her in this times." (sic) D'Cruz replied - "Approach with caution. Be prepared to either be giving her an insane amount of cuddles or to not be anywhere near her vicinity. If she starts to growl, throw chocolate at her. And run away." (sic)

Have a look right here:

All the men, take notes, please!

On the work front, D'Cruz was last seen in Pagalpanti and now will be seen with Abhishek Bachchan in the drama, The Big Bull, that's out for release on October 25.

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As musicians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and India stream out of the assembly hall of the Alexandra Girls' English Institution in Fort for a tea break, the mirth and camaraderie that fills the room over plates of samosas and chai is a picture of utopia. One that instantly puts out of focus the strained relationship among several of these countries, and instead, instills hope that one day, when we rise above all differences, this is what South Asia could look like.

It was perhaps this picture that Nirupama Rao, India's former Ambassador to the United States, and husband Sudhakar Rao, who retired as Chief Secretary of Karnataka, had envisioned when they started The South Asian Symphony Foundation (SASF) in July 2018. After months of work involving fine-tuning the artistic vision, logistic coordination of 80 musicians from across the region and those belonging to South Asian diasporas, and galvanising funds, the foundation will present the maiden concert of The South Asian Symphony Orchestra (SASO) in Mumbai.

Taking a break from the five-hour long rehearsals she has been sitting through since last Saturday, Rao tells us about her dream project. "It is something I have had on my mind for the last six to seven years. I am interested in music of all kinds, including symphonic music and the great philharmonic orchestras of the world. When Zubin Mehta conducts the LA or Israel philharmonic, you realise what a powerful expression it is of mankind's ability to transcend the pettiness that may sometimes envelopes our lives. The expression of humanity's will to overcome these small divisions — that's what an orchestra is to me," she shares.

When asked why the Bengaluru-based couple chose Mumbai for the concert, she tells us it was an easy decision. "Mumbai is very much the Maximum City when it comes to creative expression. There is a certain exuberance it has that one identifies with. Also, it is a city that has always looked outward as much as it has encompassed the hinterland of India. That's what makes it special."

After the SASF was founded, Rao went off to teach at the Columbia University in fall last year. There, she got in touch with some prominent names from the world of music including the Carnegie Hall, who mentioned some South Asian musicians from the diasporas there. "The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka [SOSL] have been hugely helpful in building this concert. The chairperson of the SOSL, Sharmini Wettimuny, identified players who could join us in the effort," she says, adding that the Indian Navy happily let its musicians join the orchestra as did the Sri Lankan police force. Sri Lankan-born Tharanga Goonetilleke of New York will be the vocal soloist.

The concert will feature classical compositions and also see the premiere of two commissioned works. Houston-based conductor Viswa Subbaraman, who Rao was in talks with since 2013 before he became the SASO conductor recently says, "The repertoire was an evolving discussion. We wanted it to represent a window to the West but not be dominated by it," he says.

Were the diverse backgrounds of the musicians a challenge? "True musicians are never strangers. The language of music may be different but the musical language is the same. . The goal is for them to transcend the differences of age, country and culture. And that's what you see here, a Bangladeshi musician speaking to his Afghan counterpart about where they will have dinner. That's the normalcy you are trying to create," he says.

Cultural diplomacy through music, in fact, is how Rao contextualises the formation of the SASO. "The orchestra enables walls to crumble. Since you get to know the person sitting next to you, the prejudice evaporates, even if he or she is from a country, with which you may not normally be friends," she says, "When I compare South Asia with regions like South East Asia or Europe until Brexit happened, there is a lot more integration over there. Take countries like Germany and France; they have overcome the challenges of history, through economic integration, people to people contact, and the discovery of common interests. It's that process that we have to set in motion in our region," she says.

And that may have begun in a small way if the contribution of public and private institutions and individuals from India to the SASO is to be considered. "This initiative really belongs to the people of India. And that should encourage us in these times when you hear the talk of war and badla in public spaces. Young people in our region are growing up with a sense of belligerence. But war is a wild thing," Rao says. "My dream is — and people may see this as totally madcap — to get this orchestra to perform at Wagah."

ON Today, 11.30 am to 1 pm (discussion and performance) at YB Chavan Centre, Nariman Point
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A 45-year-old man working at a stone crushing site in Boisar was allegedly crushed to death in a machine at Gundale village of Palghar district on Monday. The stone crusher owner has been booked in link with this case.

According to the police, the deceased identified as Sanjay Ganeshkar was cleaning the stone crusher machine when his co-worker Harishankar suddenly switched it on due to which Sanjay fell into the conveyor and was crushed to death.

"His body parts were recovered from the machine. James Colaco, the owner of the stone crusher machine and worker Harishankar Umbarsada have been booked under IPC section 304 A (causing death by negligence) and further investigation is underway," said a police official from Boisar police station.

Also Read: Woman riding pillion crushed under wheels of BEST bus in Malad

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Marking the occasion of Mahashivratri along with the success of her film Luka Chuppi, Kriti Sanon visited a Shiv temple in the suburbs of Mumbai to express her gratitude to the almighty.

With an opening of Rs 8.01 crore, Luka Chuppi marked Kriti Sanon's highest opener, as the lead actress. Amidst her busy schedule, Kriti visited Shiv Mandir in Santacruz to offer prayers and thank the almighty for showering her with love from the audience.

Check out some pictures here:

Kriti Sanon clicked at Shiv Temple in Santacruz (All Pictures/Yogen Shah)

Kriti Sanon clicked at Shiv Temple in Santacruz with her mother

Kriti Sanon clicked at Shiv Temple in Santacruz with her mother

Riding high on the success of her recent film Luka Chuppi, Kriti Sanon has been garnering love and appreciation for her quirky character Rashmi.

Kriti Sanon obliges a fan with a selfie outside the temple

Earlier, the actress visited Cinema halls to gauge the reactions of the audience as well as sold tickets at the theatre herself, surprising her fans with her sweet gesture. The actress has carved a place for herself with strong characters delivering remarkable performances there by winning the hearts of the audience.

Beginning the year with Luka Chuppi, Kriti Sanon is all set to offer a plethora of diverse characters this year with her films hailing from different genres. She will be next seen in Arjun Patiala, Housefull 4, and Panipat.

Also Read: Exclusive: Kriti Sanon on Panipat character: Killing people with sword was powerful

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Ahead of the crucial Legislative Council election in the state, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday paid a courtesy visit to Raj Bhavan here on the occasion of Maharashtra Day and met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Their meeting lasted for around 20 minutes. The move comes at a time when the Election Commission of India (ECI) is scheduled to hold a meeting over elections to the Legislative Council in Maharashtra. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9.30 am today. Every year, Governor and Chief Minister meet on Maharashtra Day in a traditional parade at Shivaji Park but this year the celebrations are curtailed due to COVID-19. So, the Chief Minister went to Raj Bhavan to call on the Governor, a CMO official said.

Earlier, Governor Koshyari had requested the ECI for the election to nine seats of the Legislative Council in the state. The Governor has made the request in a letter to the Election Commission, to fill the 9 seats in the legislative council, that has been lying vacant from April 24, "with a view to ending the current uncertainty in the state." He has stated that the Central government has announced many relaxation measures regarding the enforcement of lockdown in the country. As such the elections to the council seats can be held with certain guidelines, said Koshyari.

"Since Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray is not a member of either house of the State Legislature, he needs to get elected to the Council before May 27," he added. Earlier, Election Commission had withheld the election process for these 9 seats in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country. This came after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his nomination to the State Legislative Council. According to sources, Thackeray sought Prime Minister Modi's help, saying if it doesn't happen, he will have to resign.

Prior to that, the Maharashtra Cabinet had on April 28 once again had asked Governor Koshyari to nominate Chief Minister Thackeray to the State Legislative Council.

Before that on April 9, the state cabinet had recommended Thackeray's name for one of the two vacant MLC seats that were to be nominated by Koshyari to the Legislative Council to avoid a constitutional crisis.

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The civic body is bracing for the Centre's projection of a high number of COVID-19 cases in the coming days and to ensure full preparedness, it has beefed up work on new facilities to treat patients and has started recruiting additional medical staff to run these centres.

Senior BMC officials said that a major recruitment drive is underway to hire over 3,000 doctors, nurses and ward boys on a contractual basis. BMC is planning to rope in medical staff from the city and the green zones across the state. A senior civic official said a circular has been sent out to deans of medical colleges and ward officials for the recruitment.

Civic officials said they are preparing for around 70,000 COVID-19 cases over the next two weeks. "We will hire doctors who are part of the Indian Medical Association as well as interns, post graduate students from private medical colleges for the COVID Care Centres (CCC). Since the centres are meant for asymptomatic patients, there is no need for specialised medical equipment and can be run by a basic medical staff," the senior BMC official said. He added that the doctors, nurses and ward boys will be hired for a period of three months.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani, however, said there will be some restrictions for doctors. We will only allow specialists who aged below 55 years as a precautionary measure, he said, adding, "The new recruits will work in three shifts."

The BMC is setting up CCCs for asymptomatic patients in various schools and colleges. Besides, city's largest centre, with a capacity of 1,000 beds, is coming up at the MMRDA grounds at BKC. "The work is underway and we are trying to complete it by next week. The centre will have beds and oxygen supply, but no ventilators," said an MMRDA official, adding that Jupiter Hospital in Thane is helping with designing the centre.

It will also have a laboratory that will be the primary testing centre for complete blood count and haematology. The MMRDA official said they will bear the cost of construction while the BMC will provide the staff and other support to run the facility.

The decision on who will run the facility is yet to be taken, said a civic official, adding, "The state government may ask a medical college to handle it."

3
Total no. of months the doctors, nurses and ward boys will be hired for

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Around 16 migrant workers sleeping on rail tracks were crushed to death by a goods train at Satana village in the limits of Karmad police station near Aurangabad district at around 05.30 am on Friday. Of the total 16 deceased, 14 died on the spot while two others died on their way to the hospital.

According to the local police, a group of around 20 migrants started walking from Jalna district to Bhusawal in Madhya Pradesh which is around 170 Kms.

"They were exhausted due to the walk and decided to take rest, but soon they dozed off with 16 of them sleeping on the tracks while the other four slept adjacent to it. Of the four who survived, one has suffered injuries while the other three are in a state of shock. We are speaking to them to verify other details," Mokshada Patil, SP, Aurangabad said.

"During early hours today (Friday) after seeing some labourers on track, loco pilot of goods train tried to stop the train but eventually hit them between Badnapur and Karmad stations in Parbhani-Manmad section. Injured have been taken to Aurangabad civil hospital and an inquiry has been ordered," the Railway Ministry tweeted.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Railway, the survivors left Jalna at 07.00 pm on Thursday. They walked till Badnapore by road and then went onto the track towards Aurangabad. After walking for about 36 km, they decided to take rest in which 14 sat on the tracks, while the rest sat adjacent to it.

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Actor Tom Cruise is taking his love for action scenes one step higher! According to Deadline, the actor is reportedly planning to shoot in space with the help of Elon Musk's Space X. There is no studio attached to it yet but he is working with NASA for the same.

Jim Bridenstine, who works as an official administrator at NASA, confirmed the news on Tuesday. "NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA’s ambitious plans a reality," he wrote on Twitter.

NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA’s ambitious plans a reality. pic.twitter.com/CaPwfXtfUv

— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) May 5, 2020

Deadline reported, " Tom Cruise and Elon Musk’s Space X are working on a project with NASA that would be the first narrative feature film – an action adventure – to be shot in outer space. It’s not a Mission: Impossible film and no studio is in the mix at this stage but look for more news as I get it. But this is real, albeit in the early stages of liftoff."

Tom Cruise has three upcoming projects including Top Gun: Maverick and Mission Impossible 7 & 8. All three have been postponed amid coronavirus pandemic.

ALOS READ: Tom Cruise starrer Mission: Impossible 7 and 8 postponed amid coronavirus pandemic

Governments must borrow to meet their deficits and not impose higher tax burdens when economic activity has ground to a halt amid the coronavirus pandemic, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Wednesday after the Centre and the Delhi government hiked taxes on petroleum products. New or higher taxes are justified only when the economy is booming, the former finance minister said, dubbing the imposition of taxes as "cruel". Tax burdens on the middle class and the poor is actually taxing distress, he said in a series of tweets.

"Governments should give money to the people in times of distress, not squeeze and take money from the people," Chidambaram said. "We have been pleading for cash transfers from the government to the bottom half of the people/families. Instead governments are doing a reverse transfer of money from the people to the government! Cruel," he said.

New or higher taxes will impoverish families further, Chidambaram asserted. "Governments must borrow to meet their deficits, not impose higher tax burdens when economic activity has ground to a halt," he said. Chidambaram's remarks come after the central government on Tuesday night hiked the excise duty on petrol by a steep Rs 10 per litre and that on diesel by Rs 13 a litre.

Retail prices of petrol and diesel will not be impacted by the tax changes as state-owned oil firms will adjust them against the recent fall in oil prices, industry officials said. Petrol prices in the national capital were hiked by Rs 1.67 a litre and diesel by a steep Rs 7.10 per litre after the Delhi government raised local sales tax or value-added tax (VAT) on the two fuels.

Petrol in Delhi now costs Rs 71.26 a litre as against Rs 69.59 previously, oil industry sources said. Diesel price has been hiked to Rs 69.39 per litre from Rs 62.29. Struggling with low revenues during lockdown, several states have also hiked taxes on alcohol.

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The Karnataka government has withdrawn its request to the railways to run special trains to ferry migrant labourers to their home states, hours after builders met Chief Minister, B S Yediyurappa to apprise him of the problems to the construction sector in case they left.

The principal secretary in the Revenue Department, N Manjunatha Prasad, who is the nodal officer for migrants, had requested the South Western Railways on Tuesday to run two train services a day for five days except Wednesday, when the state government wanted services thrice a day to Danapur in Bihar.

Karnataka CM, B S Yediyurappa addresses the media about the ongoing COVID-19 situation, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday. Pic/PTI

However, later, Prasad wrote another letter within a few hours that the special trains were not required. Several migrants in the city were desperate to return home as they were out of job and money. “Since the train services are not required from tomorrow, the letter cited under reference above is withdrawn,” Prasad wrote to the SW Railway general manager on Tuesday.

The Railway officials said they have received the letter seeking withdrawal of the previous one for running special trains. However, Prasad was not available for comments. The builders had apprised the CM about the shortage of labourers if they were allowed to go back home, said a source privy to the issue.

Rs 1,610-cr package for the distressed

The Karnataka government announced a '1,610-crore relief package for the benefit of those in distress due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown. The measures announced by Chief Minister, B S Yediyurappa would bring relief to farmers, flower-growers, washermen, auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, MSMEs, large industries, weavers, building workers and barbers. While the government will reach out to about 7.75 lakh auto and taxi drivers by providing a one-time compensation of '5,000 each, a similar assistance will also be extended to barbers and washermen (dhobis), who are also facing the heat of joblessness due to the lockdown.

WB asked to open cross-border transportation

With the Bengal government not adhering to the Centre's guideline on goods transportation through the India-Bangladesh border, the MHA has issued strict direction to the state to implement it “without any delay”. The state was also asked to submit a compliance report immediately. “You are directed to allow cross land border transportation through all Indo-Bangladesh borders without any delay and send the compliance report,” Home Secretary, Ajay Bhalla said.

Delhi's Twitter handle for COVID queries

The Delhi government launched a Twitter handle for addressing COVID-19 related queries and complaints. The handle @DelhiVsCorona will ensure authentic information about the disease and serve as a one-stop solution for all the COVID-19 related queries and complaints, the government said. Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal has formed a team to monitor this Twitter handle. The team will gather live status of the situation and provide authentic information, it said.

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Fourteen migrant labourers were crushed to death early on Friday by a goods train in Maharashtra after they fell asleep on the tracks. The home-bound exhausted lot of workers were run over between Jalna and Aurangabad. A Railway Ministry official told IANS, "At least 14 people have died and two injured in the incident." A senior railway official confirmed that 17 migrant labourers were run over by the goods train running in the Nanded Division of South Central Railway.

The incident happened around 5.30 a.m. when the migrants, who were on their way back to their homes fell asleep on the railway tracks. The official said that an empty petroleum tanker train was proceeding from Cherlapalli in Telangana to Paniwadi, near Manmad in Maharashtra. "After passing Badnapur station, the locopilot saw some people on the tracks and tried to control it and sounded the horn also, but by the time he could do, it was too late," South Central spokesperson Rakesh told IANS.

According to information the workers were walking to Bhusawal from Jalna, and further onward to Madhya Pradesh. rakesh said these people were lying on the tracks. An enquiry has been ordered by the Commissioner, Railway Safety. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths on Twitter: "Extremely anguished by the loss of lives due to the rail accident in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

Have spoken to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and he is closely monitoring the situation. All possible assistance required is being provided." Railway Minister also tweeted: "Today received a saddening news of labourers sleeping on railway tracks run over by a goods train at 5.22 a.m. in Nanded division between Karnad and Badnapur railway station. Relief work is on and an enquiry has been ordered. I pray for the those who lost their lives."

Amid the nationwide lockdown, thousands of migrant workers stranded in several other cities have been on an unending toil to return to their native places on foot. The interstate bus service, passenger, mail and express train services have been suspended since March 24.

The Railways has started running Shramik Special trains to transport the stranded migrants to their native places since May 1. Till Thursday railways has run 201 Shramik Special trains.

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