Good morning and apologies in advance, as I’m again one of those loathsome (that if, if you were shivering somewhere) people who just returned from the beach, where we went on vacation last week because our kids were off from school and we didn’t see why they should have all the fun. Around me were turquoise waves, glittering with sunlight, lapping gently at the silky white-sanded shore and there were no children having tantrums or whining because this was a magical place — and at some of those things are true. However, as will always happen on vacation, while we had some enviable tacos and aguachiles, I was only a few days in when I started to fiercely miss home-cooked food, most especially this salad I’d made the week before.

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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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Scientists identify thousands of extreme events, suggesting stark warnings about global heating are already coming to pass

Intolerable bouts of extreme humidity and heat which could threaten human survival are on the rise across the world, suggesting that worst-case scenario warnings about the consequences of global heating are already occurring, a new study has revealed.

Related: One billion people will live in insufferable heat within 50 years – study

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The floods that submerged one-fifth of Pakistan's territory took more than six months to recede.

One of the most affected regions was the Sindh region, located in the western corner of South Asia. 

At their peak, the floodwaters were up to 20 feet deep. About 20 million people were displaced.

But apparently, people were not the only ones seeking shelter from the devastating floods. 

One of the unexpected side-effects of the flooding has been that millions of spiders climbed up into the trees to escape the rising floodwaters, turning them into futuristic-looking trees cocooned in spiders' webs.

The people living in that area claimed they have never seen this phenomenon before but were glad to discover that those cocooned trees were actually significantly reducing the numbers of mosquitos and thereby, the risk of malaria. 

It is thought that the mosquitoes were getting caught in the spiders' webs which would be one blessing for the people of the area, facing so many other hardships after the floods. 

Check out some of the stunning photos, released by the department of international development.

Once a week, we will be featuring an extraordinary animal account on Instagram! Their story, the adorable pictures, and pawesome videos! This week's spotlight goes to wild cat Fiona! 

Fiona is insta-famous with a following of over 100k and we have a suspicion it has something to do with those stunning emerald eyes of hers! Seriously, every single picture of this cat is the most beautiful picture, it was terribly difficult to sum up their beauty into a short list. 

Fiona isn't just a pretty face, she is a registered emotional support animal who has taken to Instagram to emotionally support the internet! Fiona's owners have created this beautiful idea called "Eterneva." Eterneva is a site in which you can turn your beloved pets ashes into diamonds that you can carry with you everywhere and every day. 

Pretty beautiful idea! Now, prepare to be mesmerized by Fiona's eyes! 

A long-standing hypothesis suggests the BCG vaccine also serves to generally enhance the immune system, meaning it could protect against covid-19, and trials are under way to find out

Weird blasts of radio waves from space called fast radio bursts have been baffling astronomers since they were discovered, but after finding one in our galaxy we may finally know what creates them

Love music? Follow your own tastes? Let’s share. Connect on Spotify.Connect on Last.fm. As a bonus, if we connect on Spotify, you not only get access to An Event Apart’s playlists from the past decade, you also get a preview of the 2020 playlist in progress.

The post Let’s hang (Spotify) appeared first on Zeldman on Web & Interaction Design.

Laduche: We can’t be satisfied yet

Egypt grabbed four goals on their second FIFA Confederations Cup appearance, which came at South Africa 2009. Mohameds Zidan, Shawky and Homos all got on the scoresheet.

AL AIN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 18: Mohammed Belaili of ES Tunis celebrates after scoring his team's first goal from the penalty spot during the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 5th Place Match between ES Tunis and CD Guadalajara at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on December 18, 2018 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by David Ramos - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

AL AIN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 18: Mohammed Belaili of ES Tunis scores his team's first goal from the penalty spot during the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 5th Place Match between ES Tunis and CD Guadalajara at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on December 18, 2018 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by David Ramos - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

AL AIN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 18: Chamseddine Dhaouadi of ES Tunis scores his team's sixth goal from the penalty spot during the penalty shoot out during the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 5th Place Match between ES Tunis and CD Guadalajara at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on December 18, 2018 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by David Ramos - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

AL AIN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 18: Gonzalo Martinez of River Plate takes and misses from the penalty spot during the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 Semi Final Match between River Plate and Al Ain at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on December 18, 2018 in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by David Ramos - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

The Navi Mumbai police restarted the search operation with experts' help early this month. Pic/Hanif Patel

The search for murdered policewoman Ashwini Bidre's mortal remains has reached the final stage. Of the nine locations that came up during the search, two, showing strong signals of presence of a metal object, have been zeroed on.

Having a radius of five metres, both locations are covered with mud that's nearly two metres deep. The police will now take a call on how to remove the objects from these locations, as they will need specialised machinery for it. After an initial investigation, the police had procured a gradiometer, an equipment to locate metal objects underwater, from Israel. "During the two-day search operation, experts found nine spots with the help of the equipment; strong signals emanated at two of the spots," said an officer.

These two locations are expected to have objects at a depth of 25 to 40 metres below the water surface. "The depth varies according to tide. Our search also revealed that the objects are covered with one-metre thick mud, which is hard and can't be removed manually," said the officer. These spots also have deep wells, said a source, adding, "Sending divers in these wells can be dangerous to their lives. Hence, we are considering bringing in machines capable of drilling deep underwater."

Bidre's husband Raju Gore told mid-day, "We are looking forward to the next step from the police, which involves removing the objects and lifting them to the surface."

Members of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) today attacked a government office in adjoining Navi Mumbai, to vent their ire over potholes dotting the 39-km stretch between Sion and Panvel. Accidents on pothole-riddled roads have claimed five lives in adjoining Thane region since last month. The victims lost balance and fell as their two-wheeler hit potholes.

The MNS workers stormed in the office of the Public Works Department (PWD) at Turbhe claiming that the Sion-Panvel road is dotted with potholes and has endangered lives of commuters. The protesters shouted slogans, smashed office equipment, threw chairs, pulled down cupboards and smashed window panes, computer terminals, CPU and printers in the office, police said.

They shouted slogans against public works minister Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena and demanded registering of offences against those responsible for the "shoddy" condition of roads. The demanded that officials concerned be booked for murder in cases of pothole related deaths. An official of the APMC police station said offences have been registered against the protesters.

"If people are dying due to poor condition of roads, MNS will continue to undertake such actions. If the roads are not repaired, the next target will be Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai," Navi Mumbai MNS unit chief Gajanan Kale said.

Reacting to the incident, Raj Thackeray said, "If the government can't see potholes, it will at least see this protest". Meanwhile, a video of the PWD office attack has gone viral on social media.

On Saturday, Maharashtra PWD minister Chandrakant Patil appeared to make light of deaths due to potholes, when he said,
"When you talk about a death in such an accident, you forget that five lakh other people have travelled on the same
road. You can not put the entire blame on the (condition of) roads alone."

The MNS protest came a day after Congress workers in Mumbai counted potholes in suburban Bandra as part of its "Aao Potholes Giney" (Come, let us count potholes) campaign, accusing the Shiv Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation of not being prepared for the monsoons.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

L-R, Radio City's RJ Salil, RJ Archana, Singer Shankar Mahadevan, Mushtaq, Dadarao Bhilorey at Radio City's Kar Mumbaikar initiative at Vashi Toll Naka

Radio City's RJ Salil and RJ Archana filling the potholes in Vashi for the Kar Mumbaikar initiative

Radio City's RJ Salil and RJ Archana along with Singer Shankar Mahadevan filling potholes at Vashi for the Kar Mumbaikar initiative by Radio City

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New study finds a growing number of places with intolerable conditions

It was a case of so near and yet not near enough for people at the disaster venue, a day after a plane crash shook the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar. An MTNL building at the mouth of this lane gives it its name — MTNL Galli. But now it has been temporarily rechristened as the 'plane crash galli' by the stream of curious visitors that poured in last afternoon.

A cop at the now-barricaded scene good-naturedly asked people to "get into a line and I will allow you to peek through the barricades. Only one minute per person," he grinned. Overhead, planes seemed to skim the buildings. "One day after the crash, every plane we see sends a jolt of fear through us," said someone, as Kalyan resident Jitendra Jaiswal, who works in Ghatkopar, made his way to the crash site. Jaiswal explained, "I keep coming back here, wondering how this could happen. There is still a sense of disbelief." Shakhawat Khan and Dinesh Yadav, both drivers (the latter drives a rickshaw), said, "The sound keeps echoing in our ears. We were eating snacks at a nearby restaurant and heard at least two-three blasts. The sound literally blew us off our chairs."

Policemen keep curious crowds at bay at the crash site. Pic/Sameer Markande

Thank God
A resident ambled to the site to see the progress of the clean-up. "I was in the car with my son at the wheel when we heard at least three blasts. Shaken, my son parked the car a few metres from this site. Everything was covered in black smoke. The smell of that smoke still lingers in my nostrils. No disrespect to the dead, but I cannot stop thanking God for sparing me," finished Pravin Shah.

Wing clip
Conversations in Gujarati dominated as one walked down the lane. Ankita Shah who lives nearby said, "I will never forget the thick, black smoke rising into the sky. It's my most enduring memory of this disaster." A number of people who claimed they witnessed the crash, insisted they saw the wing of the plane clip the pedestrian who died. A woman said dramatically, while others concurred, "one second the wing had clipped him and the next a charred body lay on the ground. It was the man," she stressed, while others agreed that they too saw a "wing clip the man. It was a wing," they shouted as some onlookers snorted in disbelief. Through the drama, an idli seller arrived putting down his wares and joining the queue to peer through the barricades. People shouted "idli, idli" while the cops shooed him off.

Mother-daughter duo of Naina (right) and Tanisha Gala point to an aircraft above them. Pics/Sameer Markande

Terrifying images
Naina Gala, MTNL lane resident, said, "I witnessed the blast and last night, the terrifying images — burnt bodies, fire, smoke and the wreckage came back to haunt me." Her daughter Tanisha said there were tons of questions from her classmates. Naina added, "I feel the pain of the pilots, the crew. They knew they were going to die, they sacrificed their lives to save all of us." Naina and Tanisha said the fire brigade, police and everyone was at the site within minutes. A local informed this reporter, "The birds in the sky were faster though. There were a huge number circling the crash site within minutes. They had smelt death in the air…" Yet another gent walked down the lane wearing a T-shirt with the prophetic lines: 'Your life is your story. Write well. Edit often'. As one exited the lane, one could not help thinking, this must rate as a very surprising twist in Ghatkopar's story.

5
No. of people dead in the plane crash

Pravin Shah (left) tells his story

Also Read: Ghatkopar plane crash: Doctors to use teeth to ID victims

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A pod of dolphins was spotted in the Ragodi beach in Nalsopara West in north Mumbai. Janardan Alonghe, a lifeguard deployed by the VVMC at Rajodi beach said, "I was on duty and suddenly noticed some movement in the sea. I thought someone was drowning in the water so I immediately took the help of a guard and rushed to the spot on a rider boat. There we saw a bunch of dolphins swimming and enjoying in the water."

He further said that this is not the first time when a dolphin appeared on the beach. Alonghe said, "Dolphins are seen here but mostly far away from the seashore. This is the first time when dolphins were this seen close to the seashore. Dolphins are usually seen at the seashore when the days are cold and then they go to the deep sea around 11:30 am when it is hot and sunny. Since it was cold for the last few days, the dolphins must have come closer to the seashore."

Nikhil Tandel, 'Blue life Adventure' guard deployed at Rajodi beach said that he has seen several dolphins in the past but he had seen them this close for the first time. He said, "There were ten to twelve dolphins jumping and swimming in the water. As soon as the people heard about them, they started visiting the seashore to witness the pod," he added. 

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Thane: An adult leopard was spotted by security personnel at the basement of Korum Mall in Thane early on Wednesday morning at around 5.30 am. The leopard's movement was caught on the CCTV camera installed towards the exit gate of the parking area. Forest department officials finally managed to tranquilise the big cat and rescued it from the densely populated human area.

The guards alerted the forest department and Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) officials. A veterinary doctor has also reached the spot. However, the leopard could not be traced even after a thorough search in the morning, as per reports. Finally, the forest officials succeeded in tranquilising the leopard around 12 pm

The leopard which was later spotted at the basement of a hotel near Cadbury junction in Thane was tranquilised by forest officials.

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Bandra got its first outlet of The Wine Table in May last year. What does it offer? MRP Wine bar by glass & bottle and Wine education/training/food pairing with wines, etc. From imported - Ren, Beaujolais villages, Peppoli, Cono Sur, Torres, Salbach, Masi masianco, Robert Mondavi to domestic - Amaris reserve, Fratelli MS red, Fratelli Sangiovese, Moksh sauvignon blanc, M reserve, Raaya rose, the outlets offer all things wine.

Tignanello Italian, priced at Rs 20,000, is the most expensive buy. We walk in at 6 pm to douse our red craving, and a bite but the kitchen opens only at 7 pm. We order a Sileni pinot noir (Rs 630) and a Mokksh ren (Rs 396), a flagship brand of the store. The Sileni from New Zealand is light and perfumed and perfect for the rather early indulgence. The ren merlot is medium bodied, woody and deeper on the palate.

While our server gives us back stories of wines and vineyards, we’ll surely go back to try some whites next.

AT: Darvesh Royale Building, Perry Road, Pali Hill, Bandra West
CALL: +91 9167007667
TIMINGS: 10 am to 12.30 am
NOTE: The Wine Table didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for its meals

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Nutcracker from Karnataka; pepper mill from Turkey

A day before this writer spoke to chef K Thiru, a 12-feet wide hand-crafted brass plate arrived from Moradabad to add to the display collection at the Museum of Culinary Arts. Inaugurated by its star alumnus, Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna last week, this is the first museum of its kind in the country, which is now a prime attraction of the Department of Culinary Arts at WelcomGroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA), Manipal. It dons the look of an ancient giant brass pot and has been a labour of love for Khanna, Thiru, vice principal and head of department of culinary arts, who, together with his team, worked six years to concretise their imagination.

Middle East and India

"Each day some utensil or the other arrives from a corner of the country and even beyond its borders," Thiru tells us over the phone from Manipal. Currently sprawled across the lobby and hall of a 28,000 sq ft culinary arts building, the museum contains 1,000 displays. Thiru and Co. plan to take it to 10,000. The idea of the museum came to Khanna during his early days in America. "We have such a rich culinary heritage, and while certain recipes have long lives, the cooking methods have gone obsolete, with the arrival of modern technology. Yes, we must keep up with times, but it is no less important to preserve history. True learning is a combination of both. It will also help future generations to understand how we have evolved," says 49-year-old Thiru.

Spoons from Europe

Nearly all artifacts have been sourced by Khanna during his travels around the world and to remote corners from India. There is a Turkish coffee set, called Ibrik; a clay cellar storage container from Rajasthan; a 21-piece ancient picnic set from Lucknow, which is a mini cooking range, complete with a bowl, plate, ladle, spoon and a pot, all of which can be dismantled. It's striking that the concept of a cooking range existed back then. That piece is Khanna's personal favourite. There are also churners, hand-blenders with glass jars, an ice cream maker from Lucknow, ceramic ware from Rajasthan and a variety of collectibles from Jammu, Hyderabad and Udipi. Plates made by the Portuguese in India, a 100-year-old ladle used to dole out food at temples of the Konkan and bowls dating back to the Harappan era are the big draws. "Some of the items, back then, must have existed in every household but have not been preserved. Besides Vikas's own collection, we have also asked our students to contribute," Thiru adds.

Currently, the layout of the museum is a makeshift one. "A lot needs to be done as artifacts are regularly added. We are working on creating a rustic look to go with the theme. Tomorrow, if someone else makes a similar museum in another part of India, we will be happy. The aim is to be the pride of the culinary fraternity," Thiru says.

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Scenes from the play 

Stopping by a vada pav stall for a quick, satiating bite on a busy day or tucking into a sev-chutney laden Bombay sandwich, as breakfast at the office is a quintessential Mumbai experience. But who are the people who wake up at the crack of dawn to prep food that they then dish out with assembly line-like precision for the rest of the day? At the rates at which they sell the fare, what counts as profit? And do the exigencies of being on the street eat into it? If these are questions that have crossed your mind, find answers to them at the Mumbai premiere of Stand on the Street, a physical theatre performance spanning four acts that tell the stories of four street vendors from across India.

"Originally, the performance was commissioned for the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa last year by chef [and the festival's culinary arts curator] Manu Chandra. We had worked on the smell and memory aspects of food earlier, and this time, the idea was to explore taste as the primary sense in the performance," shares director Aruna Ganesh Ram. She adds that the dishes that the vendors sell in the play - jhal muri, a spicy puffed rice preparation from Bengal; sundal, a yellow pea fried snack from Tamil Nadu; momos, a popular street food from Delhi; litti chokha from Bihar; and paan from Varanasi - will also be served to the audience. "Chef Chandra was keen on picking dishes that went beyond the popular items, which is why we don't have pav bhaji or dosa in the play," she says.

"We wanted the audience to eat, listen, and watch these performers behind their masks capture the essence of the country, not in a particular time period but over the last couple of decades. It became a metaphor for the prevailing socio-political conditions in India, but never obviously so," says Chandra.

Chef Manu Chandra

As part of their research, Aruna and her team - consisting of actors Anjana Balaji and Aditya Garg, who play all 10 characters in the play - fanned out across India to meet 250 street food vendors and listen to their stories. "We realised that a vast majority of the vendors had left their hometowns to embrace a new city for life. And they all shared a common dream - they did not want their children to suffer like them," says Aruna.

The masks, which the actors wear throughout the performance, give it a sense of universality. "After all, this is not the story of one particular character, but of the many street vendors with whom our association is no more than a flitting transaction," she says. What also emerged in the research was the politics of being on the street, from dust and pollution to having to pay bribes, and dealing with the nuisance of barking dogs.

"A momo vendor from Mangalore spoke of the irony of customers, used to eating frozen momos at restaurants, finding the taste of her fresh dumplings, odd," Aruna recalls, adding that the play weaves in the instance of the call for a momo ban that had surfaced in Jammu last year. On the day of the performance, the team is up at 5 am to prepare all five dishes from scratch. "If we have to internalise their stories, we must live their life," Aruna sums up.

From: April 25 to 27, 8 pm (The Cuckoo Club, Bandra West); April 28, 6.30 pm and 29, 8 pm (Piramal Museum of Art, Byculla)
Log on to: bookmyshow.com
Entry: Rs 499

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Innovation Driven Approach and Creative Content Soars Radio City’s Share% to 12.4% (Source: RAM, Delhi, 12+ All)
Mumbai : May 08, 2018: Radio City 91.1FM, India’s leading radio network, backed by its innovative and enriching content has yet again dominated the capital city of India, emerging as a strong no.2 radio station as per the RAM (Radio Audience Measurement) ratings in Delhi for the week 12-15, 2018. Pioneering unique 360-degree intellectual properties spread across entertainment genres and superiority in programming content helped, Radio City secure a remarkable Share% of 12.4% over the past four weeks.
Radio City is #2 based on Share % in Delhi. (Source: RAM, Markets: Delhi, Demographic: 12+ All, Statistic: % Share, Daypart: Mon-Sun 12 am - 12 am, Place of Listening: All, Week 12-15 2018).

Commenting on the performance, Mr. Abraham Thomas, CEO, Radio City said, "We are very excited to see growth in reach for Radio City in Delhi over the past few weeks. These ratings reinforce the loyalty conferred by our listeners in the city and encourages us to continue our effort in providing them with enriching content. Our innovation first approach has truly paid off as we can see that our station has emerged No.2 in Delhi amongst listeners and advertiser. Truly Dilli ki Rag Rag Mein Daude Radio City”

Radio City has also emerged as the No.1 player as per the latest RAM ratings In Bangalore with Share % of 25.4% Source: RAM, Market: Bangalore, Demographic: 12+ All, Statistic: % Share, Daypart: Mon-Sun 12 am - 12 am, Place of Listening: All, Week 12-15 2018). Radio City ranks No 1 in Mumbai with Share % of 16.5% Source: RAM, Market: Mumbai, Demographic: 25-44 Sec AB, Statistic: % Share, Daypart: Mon-Sun 12 am - 12 am, Place of Listening: All, Week 12-15 2018).

Radio City’s consistent top rating once again proves its popularity in one of the most competitive and prominent markets by providing its listeners with innovative and clutter breaking content

About Radio City 91.1FM:

Radio City, a part of Music Broadcast Limited (MBL) is a subsidiary of Jagran Prakashan Ltd. Radio City was the first FM radio broadcaster in India and brings with it over 16 years of expertise in the radio industry. as on March 31, 2017, Radio City reached out to over 52.5 million listeners in 23 cities covered by AZ Research (Source: AZ Research Report).

Music Broadcast Limited currently has 39 stations, including 11 newly acquired stations in Phase III auctions. Radio City in its third phase expands to Kanpur Ajmer, Kota, Bikaner, Udaipur, Patiala, Patna, Jamshedpur, Nasik, Kolhapur and Madurai.

Radio City has spearheaded the evolution of FM radio programming by offering content that is unique and path-breaking. The network introduced humor and the concept of agony aunt on radio with Baber Sher and Love Guru respectively. It also initiated the Radio City Freedom Awards and provided a launch pad to budding singers with Radio City Super Singer, the first-of-its-kind radio talent show in India. Through its ‘Rag Mein Daude City’ philosophy, the network has adopted a local approach that resonates with the listeners while inculcating a sense of city pride and infusing local culture and flavour on-air. The network provides terrestrial programming along with 51 other web-stations, through its digital interface, www.radiocity.in.

Radio City has been featured consistently in ‘India’s Best Companies to Work For’ study conducted by Great Place to Work Institute. The network has repeatedly been called out as amongst the best in the media industry. In 2017, the company was included in the list for the 6th time.

For further details, log on to www.radiocity.in

The Tashkent Files
U/A; Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Director: Vivek Agnihotri
Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Shweta Basu Prasad, Mandira Bedi, Pallavi Joshi, Rajesh Sharma, Vinay Pathak, Pankaj Tripathi, Vishwa Mohan Badola, Prakash Belawadi, Achint Kaur, Prashant Gupta
Ratings: 

Based on true incidents, director Vivek Agnihotri's Tashkent Files, is a fictionalised film with cinematic liberties. In form, it is a blend between a courtroom drama and an online game with different task levels. In purpose, while seeking answers to the mysterious death of India's second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, who died on January 11, 1966, in Tashkent, it implores you, as a citizen of the nation, to question for, "your right to truth".

The film has a kind of stark simplicity: Apart from a brief set-up and a briefer epilogue, a major portion of the film takes place within the four walls of an inquiry commission which is so akin to a jury room, as nine prominent and responsible citizens headed by politician Shyam Sundar Tripathi (Mithun Chakarobarty) debate on the "common conspiracy theory", that surrounds Shastri's demise.

It is an open fact, and no denying it, that there have been various theories surrounding the mysterious death. The Shyam Sundar Tripathi Commission is set up after the investigative journalist Raagini Phule (Shweta Basu Prasad) is coerced by an anonymous well-wisher cum source, into writing an article that digs into the nation's past.

The well-wisher dishes out nuggets of information via a telephonic conversation which appear like stages of an online game.

Soon, Raagini is also roped into the Commission for being a journalist who has done a lot of investigation on the subject. She propels the narrative and drives home her point based on the Mitrokhin Archive II, which is a collection of handwritten notes made secretly by the Russian KGB defector Vasili Mitrokhin.

Dedicated to the journalists of India, the film, on the face of it appears balanced, but the tone and texture of the narrative definitely appear slanted. Sample this; "Gau bhakt, topi pehnewala baba, kaun the?" This question subtly and surely ignites a sense of underlying brotherhood that forces an ignorant viewer to seek the truth.

And so, on the pretext of speaking the truth, the narrative digs out the bitter and indigestible political history of our country. Also, while smirking at our democracy and our education system, the film makes each one of us feel guilty as it opens a Pandora's Box but shows us nothing that we are not aware of. And the last frame, stating that the facts mentioned in the Mitrokhin Archives have not been proved or verified till date, clearly shows that the plot along with the dialogues, is clever and manipulative.

This is a film where tension comes from personality conflict, dialogue and body language, not action. The drama within the confines of the claustrophobic room appear forced and staged.

On the performance front, the film is Shweta Basu Prasad's canvas. She is effective as the ambitious, yet vulnerable Raagini. She holds her steady against the dynamic Mithun Chakraborty, who gives an equally new and varied dimension to his Shyam Sundar Tripathi.

The duo are aptly supported by an ensemble cast which includes; Pankaj Tripathi as Gangaram Jha, Mandira Bedi as the social activist Indira Joseph Roy, Pallavi Joshi on a wheelchair as the historian Aiysha Ali Shah, Rajesh Sharma as a prominent government contractor Omkar Kashyap, Vishwa Mohan Badola as the aging Justice Kurian Abraham, Prakash Belawadi as the senior bureaucrat GK Anantha Suresh and Prashant Gupta as Vivendra Pratap Singh Rana, all members of the commission.

Naseeruddin Shah as the master brain politician PKR Natrajan and Vinay Pathak with a scarred visage as Mukhtar, the person who helps Shweta unearth the mystery in Tashkent, have their moments of onscreen glory.

Mounted with ace production values, the visuals of the film do not boast of any cinematic brilliance. The songs with the lyrics, "saare jahan se achcha" and "sach jalta hain" are lost in the narrative.

Overall, with aggressive pacing, the film is well-researched and potent in nature. But with the timing of its release and the undertones in its messaging, this film appears to be a propaganda film that neither ignites any patriotic fervour nor journalistic appeal.

Also Read: Vivek Agnihotri's The Tashkent Files lands in legal trouble

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After 15 cases of Coronavirus among its workforce, including one death, the BEST Undertaking, that is currently the city's lifeline, has begun daily temperature checks of employees at entry points of all bus depots.

BEST officials said that of the 15 cases, two have been categorised under 'occupational exposure' — that is, the virus was probably caught by the patients at work. In the rest of the cases, employees came to work after already being exposed to the virus elsewhere. For example, one of the infected employees was residing in a Containment Zone and the one who died had visited his native place and had been hospitalised.

"Eventually, a picture goes out that the 15 BEST employees got Coronavirus while at work. The fact that they came to work after already having been exposed to the virus elsewhere is ignored and this aspect of occupational exposure goes unnoticed. Of the 15, seven are bus conductors, four are drivers, two are electricity department employees and two are from the transport engineering department," a BEST spokesperson said.

"Temperature guns have been provided at bus depot entry points and the body temperature of all employees is being checked when they enter the premises for work. Only after due recordings, employees are allowed to proceed to work," another senior official said.

The BEST also redrew its plans and omitted conductors from several buses after cases of employees contracting the virus at work surfaced and trade unions alleged poor standards of protection for the staff.

"We had been warning since day one. The BEST has woken up after 35 days, now that employees are testing positive. Still, better late than never," said BEST Kamgar Sanghatna general secretary Jagnayaran Kahar. The union had organised a 'Demand Day' on April 21 seeking safety for BEST workers.

Conductor beats COVID-19
A BEST conductor of Goregaon depot, who has a history of asthma, and a resident of Mira Road, was admitted at Tambe hospital as a COVID-19 positive case since April 13. On Tuesday, he was discharged from the hospital.

Made to sign undertaking: BEST Power staff

BEST Power employees said that they have been forced to sign an undertaking that says they have not come in contact with Coronavirus patients and that no one in their family is positive. A BEST spokesperson said that the undertaking was necessitated because, in 13 of the 15 positive cases, the virus was probably caught by the workers elsewhere. The spokesperson added that the understanding is required to maintain a database.

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Since the lockdown began, nearly 750 people staying in around 125 shanties at Bandra Bandstand, have spent every night sleeping on or near the rocks outside their houses until the tide comes in, forcing them to crowd back inside. On an average, there are eight members in a shanty at Ganesh Nagar, along the seashore.

Unable to stay together in their small dwellings, they have been forced to spend time near or on the rocks by the sea, till the tide rises, in an attempt at social distancing. The people have been residing in the area since 1986 and have Aadhaar, ration and PAN cards etc. They have been getting SMS alerts to pay their electricity bills. They want the government to give them concessions regarding electricity, and many of the migrants there want to go back home to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, etc.

Until the tide comes in

The secretary of Ganesh Nagar Rahiwasi Sangh, Jeetendra Pareva said, "There was no space crunch in these houses as the working members would be out for most of the day. But due to the lockdown, the dwellings are overcrowded. Now a few members sleep inside the house and others come out to sleep on the rocks. We do this at night and in the afternoon. We change our sleeping locations as per the high tide. The water reaches right upto our door steps during high tide. We have learnt to sleep according to it," said Pareva.

Residents say only the men sleep outside on or near the rocks. Pics/Sameer Markande

Most of the residents are people who work as gardeners, drivers, maids, etc in the nearby bungalows of film stars. However, they claim neither the film stars nor the government have come forward to help them till date.

The locals also claim they have to defecate in the open as there is no public toilet facility in the area except for one meant for tourists, which is air-conditioned, and charges R10.

"It becomes tough for us to answer nature's call during the rainy season, as the rocks become slippery and many people lose their balance and get hurt. Fortunately none of us have fallen into the sea and drowned. Many political leaders have promised us toilets but nothing has been done. Who will pay R10 to use an AC toilet when we don't have ACs even at home?" asked Pareva.

Chose safety over money

The residents claimed that they have stopped working due to the lockdown, but their employees in the bungalows have been trying their best to lure them back. "These people have been offering us huge sums of money to resume work. A few of us were tempted as the offers were lucrative. But we had a meeting. But we conducted a meeting with all the residents and dissuaded everybody from going anywhere during the lockdown," said Ganga Bhagwat Singh, the president of Ganesh Nagar Rahiwasi Sangh.

The residents of hutments at Bandstand are forced to spend nights sleeping near or on the rocks until the tide comes in, to avoid overcrowding in their tiny houses

"Thankfully there is not a single case of COVID-19 in this slum. If someone goes out to work and gets infected, we could all get infected. So everyone got convinced and rejected the offers. We are also not allowing any outsider to enter our dwellings," added Singh.

Most of the occupants of these overcrowded dwellings are from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and said they want to go to their homes in Patna, Allahabad, Jaunpur, etc.

Jobless with no money

Another reason they spend time on the rocks, is that they don't have television. "After the lockdown, the validity of cable connections expired in nearly 90 per cent houses in this slum. So the youngsters are forced to come out in the open for better network for their smart phones."

"We requested the service provider to resume the service but he said it will be possible after online payment. So we are helpless regarding this as well. Also, most of us are jobless so how can we pay for cable TV?" Pareva added. So far they haven't had a problem with food. Residents claimed former MLA Baba Siddiqui and Corporator Asif Zakaria have been giving them rations and packed food. Special arrangement for food has also been made by the duo for those observing roza in the holy month of Ramadan.

With the government allowing travel between states, the migrants in the shanties are hopeful of going back home.

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The lockdown has come as a boon to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which has taken the time to repair the damaged but traffic free Western Express Highway. The work is expected to be completed by May 31. Work on the Eastern Express Highway, which will soon begin, is also expected to be completed by May 31. Mumbaikars can then expect pothole-free smooth roads this monsoon.

According to an MMRDA spokesperson, "The completion period for repairing/improvement of WEH is 11 months, but due to the lockdown, we will be able to complete it substantially within a month by May 31. The cost of the work is R47 crore. Work on repairing/ improvement of the bad patches on EEH will start shortly. Possibly from May 11 and the cost for this is about R30 crore and efforts will be made to complete it by May 31. As per the plans, the works have been divided into 4/5 parts to ensure fast completion."

Sources from MMRDA said the idea is to complete the quality work at the earliest so during the monsoon motorists using these highways don't have to face inconvenience.

The WEH is the main highway connecting the Western suburbs to the city bearing 5,000-7,000 (Passenger Car Unit) PCU/hr per direction for most stretches.

MMRDA has also started addressing the problem of traffic jams at junctions on WEH, which were taking place due to uneven roads because of paver blocks. Few months back MMRDA had started removing the paver blocks on the west side of JVLR junction on the WEH, in order to reduce the obstruction in traffic.

MMRDA has also prepared a plan for the facelift of WEH, and so it has appointed global consultants to study its shortcomings and a project estimated at R100 crore has been planned for the same.

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Dear Diana,
My 21-year-old daughter had been behaving odd for the last few months. I was observing her as she would always be glued to the phone. Needless to say, I was worried for her. I am a widower and she is my only child. Whenever she would talk on the phone, she would walk away from me. She then started coming home late at night every other day. When I would ask her, she would be evasive. To my shock, last week I spotted her with a guy in a park near our house. I hated him at first sight. He looked like a nerd and someone just not suitable for my daughter. I wanted to accost her, but on second thoughts stopped myself. When she came home, I did not tell her anything. Should I tell her? I do not know how she will react? She is the apple of my eye and I do not want to hurt her.
— Vrajesh

Dear Vrajesh
You are wondering how your daughter will react when you tell her that you saw her with a guy in the park. You think it will affect her. But you are assuming too much and chances are that you are reading too much into it. If she is friendly with this guy, you need to talk to her. You need to sit down and calmly tell her that you saw her. Do not be hostile as it will then make your daughter withdraw more in her shell. The fact that she was in a park nearby to your home could be that she has nothing to hide. Sit down and have a chat. I am sure it will put you at ease as well as your concerns for her.

Diana will solve it!

Given people today have the tendency to make memes on almost anything and everything, how could a tv show like Mahabharat stay away? It's a cult show and making history in terms of TRPs even in 2020. But in one of the episodes, 49 to be precise, they spotted an AC cooler and made a lot of memes on the scene.

And now, talking about this to Times of India, Khanna has broken his silence and reacted to it. He has said, "I had been hearing about a picture of mine from the sets of Mahabharat going viral where I am shown sitting in front of a cooler, for the past few days. I want to know yeh picture aayi kahan se and secondly yeh kisne spot kiya? I doubt if this picture is from a still from the show. And if it is, it is a huge mistake. But from what I can say after seeing it is that it appears to be clicked in between shots. I don't think such a glaring mistake would have happened from BR Chopra's side. He was too careful with the making and the editing of Mahabharat."

However, to bear the heat, there were AC coolers on the sets for the actors, as revealed by Khanna. "We were shooting in Film City which was fully air-conditioned. However, since I had such heavy costumes and to top it all a long beard which I had to wear most of the day I used to feel extremely hot. Especially because of the beard. So, I requested BR Chopra Ji to allow me to use an air-cooler. The beard was such that after shots I used to sweat a lot and it used to irritate me," said the actor.

Well, Mahabharat is enjoying a dream run on television and as days and episodes pass by, the TRPs are only likely to grow!

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Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint and his longtime girlfriend Georgia Groome welcomed their first child on May 7.
The 31-year-old actor and the 28-year-old Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging actress are delighted to be parents of a baby girl!

“Rupert Grint and Georgia Groome are delighted to confirm the birth of their baby girl. We would please ask that you respect their privacy at this very special time,” PEOPLE reported.

It was confirmed in April that Rupert and Georgia were expecting their first child when they were spotted during grocery shopping!

On the work front, Rupert Grint was last seen in Apple TV+ series Servant which is an American psychological horror.

An intriguing game of counting tigers in a picture has taken the social media by storm. A Twitter user posted a picture of a family of tigers with few other tigers hidden in the background, and asked netizens to spot the exact number of big cats. While few netizens guessed correctly, most were left scratching their heads with the intriguing brain-teaser.

Twitter user @isharmaneer posted the picture with the caption, "How Many Tigers You See In This Pic?" Spotting four tigers in the picture at first glace is relatively easy - two cubs and two adults. But on closer inspection, netizens realised that the big cats have been cleverly morphed in the background.

How Many Tigers You See In This Pic ? pic.twitter.com/GPOvxKYdRc

— EF Neer 🇮🇳 (@isharmaneer) April 22, 2020

The puzzle, that has received over 6,700 likes and 783 retweets, has not just baffled a few celebrities too. Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan commented that he found 11 tigers while actors Dia Mirza, and Prachi Desai said that they were able to spot 16 tigers. 

11 tigers .. https://t.co/s5Sa57G80n

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 23, 2020

16

— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) April 23, 2020

16 🐅

— Prachi Desai (@ItsPrachiDesai) April 23, 2020

According to the Daily Mail, there are 16 tigers in the picture, hiding in plain sight, users commenting on Neer's post claimed that they were able to find up to 20 tigers in the picture. Here are some responses:

Now 18 pic.twitter.com/XohawpPAYf

— Ajay Singh (@Ajay_Singh56) April 23, 2020

16 pic.twitter.com/3GEj6MAe0h

— Ramesh Nadoda 🇮🇳 (@rameshrnadoda) April 23, 2020

16 pic.twitter.com/3GEj6MAe0h

— Ramesh Nadoda 🇮🇳 (@rameshrnadoda) April 23, 2020

18 in one and remaining 2 marked in other. Total 20 pic.twitter.com/VG3z46tt2F

— Ko Ka (@its_KoKaKoKa) April 23, 2020

Amazing exercise to understand the behaviour of Tigers in the wild...Ambush Predators

— Ankit Kumar, IFS (@AnkitKumar_IFS) April 23, 2020

@Ajay_Singh56 agree
18 tigers ðŸ§Â

— Richa Paliwal (@therichapaliwal) April 23, 2020

How many tigers were you able to find?

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Central teams, which were tasked to check preparedness of districts with a high load of Coronavirus cases, found that infection prevention control practices were not properly followed in several hospitals raising concerns over safety of healthcare workers, official sources said.

Six high-level multi-disciplinary teams were constituted by the Union health ministry to assist and review state health departments for proper implementation of cluster containment plans for large outbreaks and check hospital preparedness for COVID-19. Teams comprising experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), AIIMS and ICMR among others visited states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, which have high case load districts. They visited the stated between second and third week of April.

"They have observed that infection prevention control practices were not being followed properly during sample collection and treatment of confirmed cases raising concerns over the possibility of healthcare workers getting infected and leading to further transmission," the sources said. They have recommended that such infection prevention control guidelines should be strictly followed in hospitals. Several healthcare workers have been infected by COVID-19 across the country. Asked about the number of infected healthcare personnel, an official said no such centralised data has been maintained.

No April, May pay for Spicejet staff

SpiceJet told its pilots that they will not be paid salaries for April and May, and said those who have been operating cargo flights will get paid for "block hours flown". SpiceJet's flight operations chief, Gurcharan Arora told pilots through an email that "as of today, 16 per cent of our aircraft and 20 per cent of our pilots are flying".

Jamaatis asked to donate plasma

Tablighi Jamaat members, who got cured of COVID-19, have been asked by their organisation to donate their plasma for treatment of other COVID-19-infected patients, a move that the outfit thinks will help it shed its "villain" tag. "Maulana Saad, in an open letter on April 21 has appealed them to donate their plasma to help others. The message has reached all the members," Maulana Anees Ahmad Nadvi, the manager of Tablighi Jamaat's Lucknow branch, told PTI on Wednesday.

Punjab extends lockdown; 10 held in Kolkata

. The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to issue an ordinance empowering it to deduct salaries of its employees to mobilise funds to fight COVID-19 in the state.

. The spread of COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu is "largely under control" due to the implementation of various government guidelines, but the contagion is "easily" spreading in this city due to its large population, cm, K Palaniswami said.

. Nine new cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in Karnataka, taking the total number of infections in the state to 532, the health department said.

. Ten persons were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting policemen enforcing lockdown in the Coronavirus red zone of Howrah district last evening. According to a senior official of the Howrah police commissionerate, a total of 10 persons have been arrested and three cases under different sections of the IPC and other penal laws have been lodged against the accused.

. Punjab CM, Captain Amarinder Singh has announced to extend the curfew for two more weeks to check the spread of Coronavirus in the state.

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Branded Harry Potter buses that generally take fans to Warner Bros.' The Making of Harry Potter studio tour in the UK are now being used to transport key National Health Service (NHS) workers for free between hospitals battling coronavirus.

The buses have been provided by Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and bus operator Golden Tours to transport key workers between West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust's three sites, reported Variety.

"Our workforce has been depleted due to sickness or self-isolation and so it's really important that those staff who are well but have transport issues can come back," Variety quoted Paul da Gama, chief people officer at West Herts Hospitals as saying.

"A special shuttle bus, which will have strict social distancing rules, is the perfect solution and we are so grateful to Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and Golden Tours for making this happen. Our staff might not be travelling to exotic locations or seeing behind the scenes of a major movie, but they will be making magic happen in their own way," he added.

The free service runs its first journey just after 6 a.m. and its last drop-off at 10:40 p.m. (local time) between the Trust's three sites.

"We couldn't think of a better way to use the buses at this time. We are delighted to play a part in supporting our local NHS in its time of need," Variety quoted a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden as saying.

The UK has reported more than 90,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus while the toll due to the coronavirus has surged past 12,000.

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Actor Sean Penn was spotted getting tested for coronavirus with a nasal swab here. The 59-year-old star was at the free Malibu testing site set up by his organisation CORE (Community Organised Relief Effort), reports www.dailymail.co.uk.

He kept his backpack on as he leaned back in an outdoor chair to be tested by a staff member in a mask, gloves, face shield, and hazmat suit.

CORE, which Penn founded in 2010 to help with earthquake relief in Haiti, is now collaborating with LA Mayor Eric Garcetti to combat the ongoing health crisis. The non-profit's goal is to establish free drive-in testing sites in Los Angeles, working with both the mayor and fire department, according to USA Today.

Penn's goal is to "save lives and alleviate the depletion of resources" with the program. He himself works at the testing site in Malibu where he lives.

"We have an infrastructure in place to respond, and so we decided that we would if we could be value-added. It's something that we can adapt to very quickly with the training of the Los Angeles Fire Department initially. And then we're able to take all those firemen and put them back in to serve the people in the way that we need them to," he said last week.

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J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World has come up with something interesting for all Potter heads out there. The official Twitter account of Wizarding World on Tuesday shared a video featuring seven of the celebrities, including, Daniel Radcliffe who have been line up to read chapter-by-chapter of 'Harry Potter', in a series of video recordings.

"Surprise! We've got a treat for you...From today, amazing friends of the Wizarding World are going to take turns reading Harry Potter book one. And to start us off with Chapter 1, we think you'll agree we have the perfect narrator...#HarryPotterAtHome" read the tweet.

The video began with Eddie Redmayne followed by Dakota Fanning, and Claudia Kim, saying that they are "at home."

The brief video then features Stephen Fry, Noma Dumezweni, and David Beckham explaining that they are at their respective homes sitting in the "living room, book room, cosy corner" and so on. The stars further said that they are really excited to read "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/ Sorcerer's Stone by J.K Rowling."

Towards the end of the 34-second long video, actor Daniel Radcliffe introduces himself and begins to say: "This is chapter one of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." Each of the stars will read different sections of the book for all the fans of 'Harry Potter' across the globe.

Cited by Variety, all 17 chapters of the book will be released between now and the middle of the summer. Videos will be posted weekly on harrypotterathome.com, with an audio-only version available for free on Spotify.

The special series is part of the 'Harry Potter At Home' project, an initiative developed by Wizarding World Digital and Rowling's agency, to bring cheer among the people during these trying times.

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I am quite frankly disappointed with EMs services. I am a EM reserve member and I feel cheated. Day after day I see promotion / marketing mails. Full of absurdities and sounds dramatic as a soap opera. First there was the Rouge Analyst, then some drama ab..

Former Australia cricket captain Michael Clarke is reportedly still seeing fashion designer Pip Edwards, but doesn't want the world to know. According to British tabloid, The Daily Mail, Michael was spotted at Pip's apartment, but made a dash for it moments later.

Michael, nicknamed Pup, and Pip broke up earlier this month as the former cricketer was not too happy about the publicity that accompanied their relationship.  However, on Monday morning, he was spotted with Pip at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

It is learnt that the couple emerged from Pip's home in a black car at around 9am and drove to a nearby juice bar. Pip, who turned 40 on the day, then headed to collect their order, but on noticing the paparazzi, left in a huff, forgetting to pick their drinks.They then drove back to her place from where Michael took off on his motorbike. Later, Pip returned to the juice bar and picked up three juices.

Michael separated from his wife of seven years, Kyly in September last year. They have a daughter Kelsey Lee, four.Pip has a teenaged son Justice.

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