India – USMAIL24.COM

Modi’s party does not control all of India. But He is working on it.

Jeffrey Bailey — Sat, 23 Mar 2024 04:48:38 +0000

It is the final frontier for India’s most powerful leader in decades.

Narendra Modi has made it his mission during his decade as prime minister to turn a complex and diverse country of 1.4 billion people into a monolith dominated by his sweeping Hindu nationalist vision.

The news media, the national legislature, civil society, and sometimes even the courts – all are bent to his will. But one critical group of holdouts remains: some of India’s richest states, the engines of its rapid growth.

The future shape of the world’s largest democracy – and its economic trajectory – could rest on the power struggles that have emerged from it.

Mr Modi, who is well placed to win a third term in national elections due to start on April 19, is using an increasingly heavy hand in what his opponents call a dishonest attempt to oust the governments of the states where his party fails. check.

They accuse Modi’s government of delaying federal funding for major projects; of jailing or pursuing opposition leaders and protecting anyone who joins the prime minister’s party; of hindering the delivery of basic services; and of throwing state politics into chaos.

The tensions are tearing apart India’s delicate federal formula of power-sharing and political competition, the glue that holds the country together across 28 states and eight territories.

Regional leaders have described the behavior of the central government, which has more power than in federal systems like the United States, as that of a colonial overlord. In the south, the most developed and innovative part of India, officials have spoken of a “separate nation” for their region if “patterns of injustice” continue.

Mr. Modi and his lieutenants, in turn, have accused state leaders of harboring a “separatist mindset” and pursuing policies that could “break the nation.”

India’s move toward more centralized governance could hurt overall growth, analysts say, as such efforts have done in the past. Major national spending programs focus on fundamental development problems that the South largely solved decades ago. If that region’s freedom to make investments based on its own needs is restricted, the consequences could be far-reaching.

“It is ultimately self-defeating,” said PT Rajan, minister in the government of the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Modi offers a simple solution: that states ruled by parties other than his Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, come on board.

He often uses car terminology for his pitch. Those states, he says, could benefit from what he calls a “dual-engine” government, with one party – his own – working in sync at both the national and state levels.

If they don’t comply, states will throw one wrench after another into their governments’ work, officials say, making it difficult for them to deliver on election promises. The BJP, which is ruthlessly expanding its base, is waiting in the wings.

Last month, the chief ministers of about six states staged a dramatic demonstration near the seat of federal power in New Delhi.

As posters reading “Our blood, our sweat, our taxes” hung behind them, they complained that Mr. Modi was using his outsized control over the distribution of revenues across India to entrench his party and hobble their own state governments .

At the same time, Mr. Modi was on a final tour of the country before announcing the election dates. In opposition states, he combined promises of billions of dollars in infrastructure and welfare projects with scathing criticism of local parties.

They are also destructive to him. They have repeatedly taken New Delhi-appointed governors, who serve largely ceremonial roles, to court over complaints that they slow down the work of elected governments.

“You are playing with fire,” said Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud. told the central government after the governor repeatedly blocked legislative work in the opposition-controlled state of Punjab. Will we remain a parliamentary democracy?

In Tamil Nadu, officials said they were struggling to expand a metro line in the capital Chennai because Modi’s government waited too long for New Delhi’s share of the funding.

In Kerala, on India’s southwestern coast, the state government is suing the Modi government over what it says are arbitrary borrowing limits that have thrown the state budget into disarray and delayed payments.

In the western state of Maharashtra, home to Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital, Mr. Modi’s officials have splintered the state’s two largest parties through a combination of pressure from research firms and offers of incentives. Such ‘smash and grab’ politics, as critics have branded it, has paved the way for the BJP to emerge as the kingmaker in a coalition government.

In the Delhi capital region, the BJP appears determined to destroy a smaller party that came to power promising to improve basic services. The territory’s elected government has been stripped of key powers, and federal agencies have bogged down the party’s top leaders, Aam Aadmi, in corruption cases.

The party’s deputy leader and a key minister have been in prison for more than a year. On Thursday, in a dramatic overnight raid, government agents arrested Arvind Kejriwal, the party’s leader and Delhi’s chief minister, and charged him with financial crimes. He is the first serving prime minister to be arrested.

Delhi’s bitter political dispute is reflected in sewage overflows in parts of the city and long queues outside government hospitals.

Aam Aadmi tried to improve hospitals in part by relying on third-party contractors to input patient data. But the plan was caught in the crossfire between Mr. Modi’s officials and the territory’s elected government, and the contractors pulled staff from many hospitals after salaries were delayed for months.

“In their political fights, it is the public who suffers,” said Adit Kumar, a diabetic fabric salesman who recently waited with his wife outside a crowded hospital in New Delhi.

Saurabh Bhardwaj, an Aam Aadmi official in Delhi, said Mr. Modi’s intention was clear: to push the country toward one-party rule.

“You have reduced the work of the state government so much that people have started saying it is better to bring the BJP and only they can make that happen,” Mr Bhardwaj said. “That means the federal structure will collapse.”

The federal state’s biggest fault line pits the wealthier south against Modi’s support base in the north.

With the exception of a brief period in the state of Karnataka, when the BJP took control by orchestrating defections, the party has failed to win power in the five southern states.

Officials there say Mr. Modi is trying to stop them over their refusal to align with his brand of politics, including his party’s stoking of tensions between Hindus and Muslims and his attempt to use Hindi – which has not become mainstream in the south spoken – to change. a national language.

The resentment is heightened by complaints that the South gets proportionately less in return for the tax money it sends to New Delhi. Since the northern states have large populations and lag far behind in basic development, they receive a larger share of the revenue.

There are also serious concerns in the south that the redistribution of seats in parliament, once a long-delayed national census is finally conducted, will punish the south for its success in reducing birth rates, a key to its relative prosperity.

With its past investments in infrastructure, education and public health – the result of a unique mix of political, cultural and historical differences in the South – the region is better positioned to drive India’s ambition for high-end manufacturing. Modi’s politically driven approach could, his opponents say, undermine his ambitions to build India into a major economic power.

Federal Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rejected claims that the revenue was unfairly distributed, saying the central government was releasing the states’ share “and on time”.

“We want every part of the country to prosper,” Mr. Modi said in Parliament after the protest by state leaders in New Delhi, casting himself as a strong proponent of “competitive, cooperative federalism.”

By putting pressure on state governments, analysts say, Modi is simply exploiting structural flaws in India’s constitution, which created a republic — a quasi-federal union of states — after the British left in 1947.

The Indian National Congress party, which ruled India unchallenged in the early decades after independence, abused the excessive constitutional powers given to the central government over budgetary matters to stem the rise of competitors.

However, from the late 1980s onwards, the decline of the Congress ushered in an era of coalition politics, with regional parties finding representation in New Delhi.

This was also the period when India opened its highly centralized economy to the free market. As growth ensued, the distribution of resources became subject to more pressure and pressure between the central and state governments.

“The rise of regional powers made the Center committed to certain principles,” said Kalaiyarasan A., assistant professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies. “The 1990s were a golden age of federalism.”

Today, Mr. Modi is trying to reshape Indian federalism with his “dual engine.”

In opposition-held states, Mr. Modi has offered infrastructure and welfare projects, branded with his name or that of his office, to position himself as India’s sole engine of development and growth.

When embarking on joint projects, state parties face a political price: they will only get the money if they agree to the Modi branding.

And if they resist?

In 2022, Ms. Sitharaman, the finance minister, stopped at a store in the southern state of Telangana that was distributing rice rations as part of a joint program in which the central government provided most of the financing. Mr Modi’s photo was not shown there. Ms Sitharaman lashed out at state officials.

“This is the work our Prime Minister is doing for his people,” said Ms Sitharaman said. “Our people will come and install the Prime Minister’s photo, and you as a district administrator will ensure that it is not removed, that it is not torn, that it is not degraded.”

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Maldives President tones down anti-India rhetoric and seeks debt relief from India

Sabir Ansary — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 19:00:34 +0000

Switching to a softer tone, Maldives President Muizzu stated that India is a closest ally and asked his country for debt relief.

Maldives President tones down anti-India rhetoric and seeks debt relief from India

Maldives: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said on Thursday that India will remain his country’s “closest ally” and called for debt relief to his country weeks after his anti-India rhetoric. Notably, the archipelago’s land was worth approx. $400.9 million to New Delhi at the end of last year. The pro-China Maldivian leader has been making headlines since taking oath as president by pursuing a tough stance on India. He demanded that Indian Army troops operating three aviation platforms be returned to India from his country by May 10.

On Thursday, Muizzu, in his first interview with local media since taking office, said India has played a major role in providing aid to the Maldives and implemented the “largest number” of projects.

India will remain the Maldives’ closest ally, he said, stressing that there was no doubt about that, Maldives news portal Edition.mv said in a report that carried excerpts of Muizzu’s interview to Dhivehi sister publication Mihaaru.’

Muizzu’s comments praising India came after the first batch of Indian soldiers left the island this month as planned. On May 10, Muizzu had demanded that all 88 soldiers manning the three Indian aviation platforms leave the country.

India has been providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of Maldives in recent years using two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.

The proximity of the Maldives to India, barely 70 nautical miles from Minicoy Island in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the west coast of the mainland, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes passing through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) it has an important meaning. strategic importance.

During the interview, Muizzu urged India to facilitate debt relief measures for the Maldives as it repays “the hefty loans taken over from successive governments.”

“The conditions we have inherited are such that very large loans are being made from India. That is why we are conducting discussions to explore leniency options in the repayment structure of these loans.

“So, instead of halting ongoing projects… to rush ahead with them, I see no reason for any adverse impact (on Maldives-India relations),” Muizzu added.

Muizzu’s conciliatory comments towards India came ahead of the parliamentary elections in the Maldives due to take place in mid-April.

He said the Maldives has received significant loans from India, which are heavier than can be supported by the Maldivian economy. “As a result, he is currently in discussions with the Indian government to explore options to repay the loans, to the best of Maldives’ ability,” the news portal said, quoting him.

Muizzu, who expressed hope that India would “facilitate debt relief measures in the repayment of these loans,” also said he expressed his appreciation to the Indian government for their contributions.

During the previous regime, led by the government of pro-India leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the total amount of loans from the Export and Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) was USD 1.4 million (MVR 22 million).

“Taken together, the amount owed by the Maldives to India at the end of last year amounted to MVR 6.2 billion, he said.

At the current rate of 1 MVR equal to USD 16, this is approximately USD 400.9 million.

“During our meeting, I also informed Prime Minister Modi that I had no intention of stopping ongoing projects. Instead, I have expressed my desire to strengthen and expedite them,” he said, referring to his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dubai on the sidelines of the COP28 Dubai summit in December 2023.

“I suggested that a high-level committee be established, one designed for quick decision-making, even in the bridge project, to ensure speedy work. The same applies to Hanimaadhoo airport,” he added.

Replying to a question about Indian military personnel, Muizzu called this “the only point of contention” that arose with India over the presence of Indian military personnel in the Maldives and added that India too had accepted the fact and agreed to return the military personnel Pull. .

“It is not nice to dismiss or ignore aid from one country to another as useless,” he said, asserting that he had not taken any action or made any statements that could strain the relationship between the two countries to make.

“Even if they are troops from another country, we will treat them the same. I said that very clearly. It is nothing personal but rather a matter of our national security,” he added.

Muizzu stated that his government acted to find through deliberations the quickest and most prudent solution to address the issue of the Indian Army in the Maldives.

He defended his agreement with India to use civilians instead of military personnel to fly the helicopters and Dornier aircraft, saying the former government of Abdulla Yameen, which demanded that Indian troops be deployed, failed to do so was successful as the Indian personnel remained in the Maldives.

While working towards the same goals in both cases, Muizzu indicated that results can be achieved through discussions and consultation. “Everything can be achieved through discussions and consultations. That’s what I believe,” he said.

Meanwhile, amid his weak ties with India, Muizzu had pursued a clear pro-China policy, starting with his visit to Beijing in January. During his visit to China, he signed a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Partnership and signed 20 agreements to support the Maldives’ infrastructure following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China also announced a $130 million subsidy and promised to send more Chinese tourists to the tourism-dependent Maldives.

After returning from China, Muizzu, without naming any country, said the Maldives may be a small country but “that’s not a license for anyone to bully us.”

Muizzu also terminated a hydrography agreement with India, claiming that the Indian Ocean does not belong to any particular country.

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What happened when India pulled the plug on TikTok

Sabir Ansary — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 04:16:32 +0000

In India, a country of 1.4 billion people, it took TikTok just a few years to build an audience of 200 million users. India was the largest market. Subsequently, on June 29, 2020, the Indian government banned TikTok, along with 58 other Chinese apps, after a simmering conflict between India and China culminated in violence at their border.

A popular form of entertainment, about which there was no political debate, disappeared overnight. As politicians in Washington argue over a plan that could cut off access to the 170 million Americans who use TikTok, India’s example offers a taste of what’s to come — and how the public and other social media companies that target them , could respond to this.

TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, came to India early and established a broad base in dozens of the country’s languages in 2017. Their content – short videos – was often homely and hyper-local. An endless series of home-made productions, many recorded in small towns or farms and set to popular music, helped pass the hours on the cheapest and fastest growing mobile data network in the world. Similar to the United States, TikTok became a platform for enterprising extroverts to build businesses.

Veer Sharma was 26 when the music stopped. He had amassed seven million followers on TikTok, where he posted videos of himself and his friends lip-syncing and joking to Hindi film songs. The son of a laid-off factory worker from the central Indian city of Indore, he barely completed his formal education. His TikTok achievements filled him with pride. He felt ‘extremely happy’ when people recognized him on the street.

They were happy to see him too. Once, Mr. Sharma said, an “elderly couple met me and said they would watch my show for fun before going to bed.” They told him that his “show was an escape from the grind of their daily lives.”

With his newfound fame, Mr. Sharma earned 100,000 rupees, about $1,200, a month. He bought a Mercedes. After the ban in 2020, he barely had time to make one last video for his fans. “Our time together will end soon, and I don’t know how or when we will be able to meet again,” he told them.

“Then I cried and cried,” he said.

Still, short videos, including many saved from TikTok and uploaded to other sites that aren’t banned, continue to draw Indians.

India’s online life quickly adapted to TikTok’s absence. Meta’s Instagram popped up with its Reels and Alphabet’s YouTube with Shorts, both TikTok-like products, and converted many of the influencers and eyeballs who had remained inactive.

The services were popular. But something was lost along the way, experts said. Much of the homey charm of Indian TikTok never found a new home. It became harder for small makers to be discovered.

Nikhil Pahwa, a digital policy analyst in New Delhi, tracks the general change in the departure of TikTok’s “algorithms, its special sauce,” which was “much more localized to Indian content” than the formulas used by the US giants that created it succeeded .

Several Indian companies tried to fill the gap left by the loss of Chinese competition. But the US tech giants, with their deeper pockets and growing global audience, came to dominate India. The country is now the largest market for both YouTube (nearly 500 million monthly users) and Instagram (362 million), with about twice as many users as either in the United States.

India’s decision to cut off its population from TikTok was as sudden as the US effort, which began in 2020, is protracted. But the motivation was similar – and even more dramatic. While the United States and China are engaged in a new kind of cold war over economic dominance, India and China have had troops stationed on their border since 1962. In 2020, that frozen conflict became hot. In one night of brutal hand-to-hand fighting, twenty Indian soldiers were killed, along with at least four Chinese, which China has never officially confirmed.

Two weeks later, India disabled TikTok. The app disappeared from the Google and Apple stores and the website was blocked. By then, India was well practiced at blocking offending websites and even cutting off mobile data across entire regions in the name of maintaining law and order.

There were few other signs of retaliation by India, but this one action caught the public’s attention. The list of Chinese apps that India has banned continues to grow, now at 509, Mr Pahwa said.

Until then, the Indian Internet had provided China with an open market. Unlike India’s domestic media companies, tech startups have been free to take investments from China and other countries. TikTok was only the most popular among the dozens of Chinese-owned games and services distributed to Indians online.

Since at least 2017, following a similar border skirmish, the possibility that Chinese consumer technology could pose a risk to Indian sovereignty has circulated in national security circles.

Indian officials had expressed concern that Chinese-owned apps could provide Beijing with a powerful messaging tool within the rough Indian media environment. Just two months before the ban, India announced new restrictions on investments from any country “share land border with India.” Technically, that would apply to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan. But China was seen as the real target.

On June 29, 2020, the official order blocking TikTok and dozens of lesser-known Chinese services did not explicitly mention China or the bloody battle at the border. Instead, the measure was described as a matter of “data security and protection of privacy” of Indian citizens against “elements hostile to the national security and defense of India.”

In subsequent years, the Indian government has used the rationale of maintaining the “security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace” to impose conditions even on US technology companies. It has complained to Apple and Twitter, as well as Meta and Google, sometimes to avoid criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party.

But the government held no grudge against TikTok’s influencers. After the ban came into effect, the BJP contacted Mr Sharma, who said he had become depressed. Between the loss of his income and his fame, he felt his “world collapsing.” He had already been contacted by Moj, a TikTok rival from Bangalore. Mr Sharma’s career and income rebounded after he posted and started making a video with his state’s chief minister promotional videos with other BJP office holders. He now takes pride in helping to advance Mr. Modi’s political agenda.

Another TikTokker who was temporarily “heartbroken” by the ban was Ulhas Kamathe, a 44-year-old father from Mumbai. He somehow achieved a moment of international fame by devouring chicken casseroles while muttering “piece of chicken leg” through his mouth, an instant meme. After losing his nearly seven million TikTok followers overnight, he says he’s bounced back — finding five million on YouTube, four million on Instagram and three million on Facebook.

“I spent the last three years rebuilding it all by myself without any help,” he said.

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Travel experts reveal how flirting differs around the world, from banter in Britain to winking in Spain and from NEVER playing hard to get in Denmark to the best icebreaker in the US.

Albert Elence — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 19:48:47 +0000

In the mood and market for a holiday romance?

Then pay close attention to the insights travel experts reveal here about how flirting differs around the world.

They reveal the best icebreaker in the US, the land where flirting is tangible and filled with winks and the place where lingering eye contact and buttery compliments are the order of the day on the courtship front.

Our love gurus also mention the countries where women can expect men to be openly persistent – and a place where men literally bark like dogs at the opposite sex.

Read on for some helpful global lessons in love…

Woo goes there: MailOnline contacted travel and romance experts to find out how flirting differs around the world

UK – sharp humor hides simmering passion

Hannah Dorling, cruise travel expert and founder of I like cruise shipsis a Brit who has traveled the world and witnessed many a love affair on board.

She claims that humor is leading the way for chatting in Britain.

She tells MailOnline Travel: ‘British flirting succeeds more through banter and intellectual sparring than through overt displays… sharing private laughter helps intimacy grow.

‘For me the intrigue lies in the subtleties of British flirting. Mastering repartee, inside jokes and sensing the possibilities beneath… It may look subdued, but passions can still simmer beneath the surface.’

United States – direct and sincere

Noël Wolf is a culture expert and Babbel Live teacher for the language site Babble. He says: ‘Americans are known for being more to the point and sincere in their flirting than their compatriots in Britain.’

He notes that asking about someone’s career is the traditional American icebreaker, adding, “Americans tend to be less sarcastic than British people!”

South China – chopstick codes in rice balls

Clarissa Bloom is a relationship expert for ‘hen party experts’ www.thestagcompany.com. She notes a fun flirting tradition in southern China: ‘They celebrate the Sisters Meal Festival, their version of Valentine’s Day.

‘The women cook some glutinous rice in different colors, and when a man “takes the step” they hand him some rice in a handkerchief. If they unpack it and find two chopsticks, it means it worked.

“Only one chopstick means the girl isn’t interested, but since only the guy can see how many chopsticks are in it, it’s relatively subtle and less embarrassing if it’s a no.”

In Britain and Australia, friendly banter paves the way for romance, while in the US, asking people about their work can be the opening salvo for love

Spain – direct eye contact and lots of touching

Michele Massa is a Spanish travel expert and CEO of Ibiza summer villas. She talks about how Spaniards like to keep things tangible: ‘Spaniards are very expressive people and when flirting we tend to show this through direct eye contact and physical touch.’

Sara Rodriguez, founder of Madrid Travelagrees: ‘You don’t have to be shy with the ‘me gustas’ (I like you) – we strive to leave no uncertainty about romantic interest.

‘Women in particular are bold and lead with a smile and a wink… we think clarity is sexy – why dance around the chemistry when you can feel the fire?’

Canada – a subtle dance

Michael Donovan is a travel expert and co-founder of StayNewEngland.com.

He says: ‘Flirting in Canada tends to be quieter than in many parts of the world. Canadians have a reputation for being polite and respectful, and this translates into romantic pursuits.

‘Overtly sexual comments may be considered rude.

‘Although Canadian flirting has little impact, it runs deep. Canadians seek life partners, not conquests. It is a subtle dance, in which communication and egalitarian values stimulate attraction.’

France – lingering eye contact and buttery compliments

Picking someone up is called ‘draguer’ in French, literally dredging.

Yet Fiona Spinks, travel expert and publisher of Fiona followedbelieves that the French have turned flirting into a high art: ‘AYou’ll have persistent eye contact, suggestive body language, and buttery compliments about your intelligence or irresistible je ne sais quoi.

“Leave it to the land of romance to take the simple chat-up line to a poetic level with romantic gestures like handwritten notes and intimate invitations.”

In some countries, flirting tends to be overt (if you look at Italy, France and Spain), while in more conservative countries such as India and Egypt, flirting is more codified and needs to be done in wider social circles.

India – tradition runs deep

Travel expert Anjali Chawla, founder of Travel melodiesnotes that Indian romantic cues are subtle, with suitors relying on gestures, “gentle” compliments, and finding excuses to interact in social situations.

She says, “Being too direct or overt with advances is generally not appreciated.”

Tradition is the key. Anjali continues: ‘Since parental involvement often plays an important role in the matchmaking process, openly dating multiple potential partners is usually not an initially accepted option. Flirting occurs most often during family gatherings and other controlled environments in the early stages.

‘Long-standing power dynamics also favor lighter-skinned people over darker skin tones, although this is slowly becoming more prevalent in modern urban areas.’

Italy – persistent

In Mexico it is common to hear wolves whistling or shouting comments out loud

Emily Mendez, psychotherapist and writer for Tom’s blog, notes: ‘Italy has a reputation for amorous, persistent men who ruthlessly pursue the objects of their desire. Serenades and poetic overtures are more common flirting tactics [there] than in many other countries.’

Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica – fast and aggressive

In Mexico and South America, flirting can become quite aggressive, according to Clarissa Bloom.

She says that in Brazil they are “much faster at dating and flirting,” adding, “It’s common to be close, dance together and kiss on a first date in Brazil.”

In Mexico, on the other hand, “it is common to hear wolves whistling or shouting comments out loud,” and in Costa Rica “you may hear men making dogs bark at you, which is a strange way to show your attraction.”

Egypt – keep it modest

‘[In Egypt] Islamic values play an important role in shaping social interactions, including flirting,” said Mona Gomaa Flash Pack’s True Egypt tour.

She adds: ‘Modesty and respect are highly valued, and public displays of affection or provocative behavior are generally frowned upon in public.

‘Unmarried men and women generally do not interact freely and do not openly express their interest in each other. Instead, they may seek the help of intermediaries, such as family members or friends.”

Australia – friendly banter

Like their Commonwealth cousins, Australians prefer playful banter, fueled by humor and confidence, to pick-up lines, says Rosalind Cuthbertson, travel expert and co-owner of Frequent traveler.

She adds: ‘They tease with funny jokes, often about cultural touchpoints, demonstrating their ability to charm while gently poking fun.’

Germany and Denmark are both known for their direct, no-nonsense approach to flirting. In the photo: a couple in Copenhagen

Germany – in advance and punctual

Noel Wolf from Babbel says: ‘Germans are known for being direct, and that can also apply in the dating world. Showing off or cheap lines don’t tend to be the preferred style.

‘Honest communication is appreciated, even though the truth can sometimes be a bit painful, so people tend not to beat around the bush.

‘One thing you should keep in mind is the importance of punctuality; Being fashionably late doesn’t make a good first impression!’

Denmark – talk honestly

According to Nicolai Lonne, travel expert and founder of Dive in, the Danish flirting style is similar to their German cousins: ‘We have a very direct approach to flirting and dating here in Denmark. For example, we Danes don’t really like playing hard-to-get or cryptic hints. We value honesty and openness about our intentions.‘

PICK-UP LINES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

Cultural guru and Babbel Live teacher Noël Wolf offered his linguistic insights in pick-up lines around the world.

France

‘Pick-up lines aren’t really popular in France unless they’re used with a good dose of humor, so be careful!

‘An example could be: “Est-ce que ton père est un voleur? Parce qu’il a volé toutes les étoiles du ciel pour les mettre dans tes yeux. / Is your father a thief? Because he has all the stars in the world stole heaven to put them in your eyes.”

Italian

‘It wouldn’t be amiss to try out a few cheesy Italian lines, such as: “Posso offrirti un caffè per sciogliere il ghiaccio? / May I offer you a coffee to melt the ice?” or: “Credi nell’amore a prima vista o devo ripassare più tardi? / Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I come back later?”‘

German

‘Although cheap lines are not really popular in Germany, if you want to take the risk of trying one out, you can say: “I have lost my telephone number. borrow yours?”

Spanish

Corny pick-up lines also exist in Spanish, where they are known as piropos, but beware that these may be met with an eye roll rather than the desired outcome of someone agreeing in a way to go on a date.

“Here’s one you could try: “Quisiera ser joyero para poder apreciar un diamante como tú. / I would like to become a jeweler to be able to appreciate a diamond like you.”

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Who is Charles Sobhraj’s wife? Meet The Real Serpent’s Much Younger Husband, Nihita Biswas, Who Married Him in Prison

Sabir Ansary — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 18:45:48 +0000

She is a loyal wife who describes her husband as ‘a good man’, but the circumstances surrounding Nihita Biswas’ marriage to Charles Sobhraj couldn’t be more bizarre.

Sobhraj, now 79, preyed on Western tourists on South Asia’s hippie trail in the 1970s and lured them to their deaths – with his “serpent-like ability” to seduce while evading detection by authorities, earning him the nickname The Serpent yielded.

His crimes are explored in the final episode of three-part drama The Real Serpent: Investigating a Serial Killer, airing on Channel 4 tonight at 9pm.

It is believed he killed at least backpackers in India, Thailand and Nepal. He was initially sentenced to a total of 29 years in prison for two murders. He spent ten years in a New Delhi prison before escaping.

The serial killer was later imprisoned in Nepal for another 19 years and during this sentence he met his lawyer’s daughter, Nihita, and fell in love at first sight, despite an age difference of more than 40 years.

Here, Femail reveals the age-gap couple’s relationship history and why Nihita has remained by The Serpent’s side despite his heinous crimes.

Charles Sobhraj (R) and wife Nihita Biswas (L) are led to a waiting vehicle by Nepalese police officers after a court hearing in Kathmandu on May 31, 2011

Charles Sobhraj, 79, spent ten years in a New Delhi prison after being convicted of a series of murders, before later being jailed in Nepal for 19 years

While serving his sentence in Nepal, Sobhraj was introduced to his lawyer’s daughter, Nihita Biswas (pictured), and the pair are said to have subsequently married (Photo: EPA)

Who is Nihita Biswas?

Nihita, in her mid-30s, was born in Nepal in 1988, the son of a businessman of Bangladeshi descent and Shakuntala Thapa, a Nepalese lawyer and human rights activist.

Nihita was educated at St Mary’s High School in Kathmandu and obtained her law degree from Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal, according to DNA India.

She later made headlines in 2011 after becoming the first Nepalese citizen to participate in season five of India’s equivalent of Big Brother, Big Boss.

However, she was only able to survive for a week and was the first participant to be evicted, as reported by India today.

Nihita Biswas, 35, was born in Nepal in 1988 to a businessman of Bangladeshi descent and Shakuntala Thapa, a Nepalese lawyer and human rights activist (Photo: Shutterstock)

How did Charles Sobhraj and Nihita Biswas meet?

Nihita’s mother, Shakuntala Thapa, represented Sobhaj during his trial at the Supreme Court of Nepal, but she failed to obtain her client’s release.

Sobhraj was sentenced to life (minimum 20 years) in 2003 for the murder of two Americans and was held in a maximum security prison in Kathmandu.

Nihita, who has a good command of the French language, was brought in as an interpreter for Sobhraj’s visiting French lawyer, which is how she and Sobhraj initially met.

After quickly building a relationship, The Serpent married his second wife Nihita in Kathmandu Prison on October 9, 2008.

Sobhraj was 66 at the time and Nihita was reportedly in his early twenties.

Although her mother and Sobhaj’s lawyer had left Nepal by the time Nihita met Sobhraj for the first time, it is said that afterward she made such an impression on him that he would make excuses to see her again.

Nihita told Times of India : ‘He acted as if he had another assignment for me. He gave me a huge shopping list. It was mostly canned stuff.”

Speaking about her decision to be in a relationship with a convicted serial killer, Nihita emphasized that she believes he has always been innocent.

She said, ‘I don’t know what he was. What he is now is important. He is a good man, I have seen how he takes care of his family. We have a good relationship.’

“He’s innocent,” Nihita added. “There’s no evidence against him.”

On his part, Charles Sobhraj said in a 2008 interview that it was love at first sight for both of them. Times of India.

It is currently unknown whether Biswas (L) would join her husband Sobhraj (R) in France after he was released from prison in December 2022 (Photo: Getty Images)

Are Charles Sobhraj and Nihita Biswas still married?

The killer was first seen publicly with Biswas in 2017, after he was taken from his cell to hospital in Kathmandu for life-saving coronary surgery with the help of his wife.

In December 2002, Sobhraj was flown to France from Nepal from Kathmandu after serving 19 years of his 20-year life sentence.

Biswas was photographed on the phone on the day of his release walking outside immigration as Sobhraj was brought in, but her whereabouts when her husband boarded the plane were unknown.

Sobhraj, who was released from prison early due to his battle with heart disease, is now expected to undergo medical treatment in France, which may include open heart surgery.

A source close to Sobhraj in Nepal said: “His wife has said he may need another operation and will be closely monitored by doctors after landing.”

According to Times of IndiaSobhraj and his wife planned to consummate their wedding after his release, and the couple plans to write a book about how they “found love in the most daunting of circumstances.”

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Paris Olympics: Achanta Sharath Kamal to be flag bearer of India, legendary MC Mary Kom appointed chef

Sabir Ansary — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 16:35:04 +0000

Table tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal was India’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

Achanta Sharath Kamal and MC Mary Kom (R).

New Delhi: Veteran table tennis player and reigning CWG champion Sharath Kamal will be India’s flag-bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while legendary boxer MC Mary Kom was appointed chef de mission of the country’s contingent on Thursday. The 41-year-old table tennis player symbolizes “the unity and spirit of our contingent as they compete on the Olympic stage,” the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said in a statement while making the announcement.

“It was an incredible three weeks. From not even being assured of an Olympic spot to playing like I did last week in Singapore, rising 54 places in the rankings to the title of India’s flag bearer,” Kamal told PTI. “It is the greatest honor and a fairytale story, as it will be my fifth and last Olympic Games. Moreover, not many TT players worldwide have received that honor. I just got a call from the IOA and I couldn’t believe it.”

Kamal was the flag bearer for India at the closing ceremony of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022. Recently, the Indian men’s and women’s teams had qualified for the team events of the Olympic Games for the first time based on their rankings. Six-time world champion Mary Kom, bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, will be assisted by luger Shiva Keshavan, who has been appointed deputy chef de mission.

“Mary Kom’s unparalleled dedication to sport and inspiring journey make her a natural choice to guide and guide our athletes at the Olympic Games,” the IOA said. “Keshavan, a former Olympian in luge, brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to support the team’s management and coordination efforts.”

Olympic bronze medalist in rifle shooting Gagan Narang will oversee India’s operations at the shooting range, which is very far away from the main locations. India will send its largest ever shooting contingent to Paris, with 19 quota already in hand.

“His (Narang’s) meticulous approach and understanding of athletes’ needs will ensure an enabling environment for our shooters,” the statement said. “These appointments represent a blend of experience, expertise and leadership that will contribute significantly to the success of our athletes on the world stage,” the statement said.

Commenting on the appointments, IOA President PT Usha said: “We are delighted to have such a distinguished and capable team of officials leading our contingent for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Their expertise, dedication and passion for sports will undoubtedly inspire our athletes to be the best they can be and make the nation proud.”

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Tax dispute turns political as India freezes opposition accounts

Jeffrey Bailey — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 14:10:21 +0000

India’s main opposition party accused national authorities on Thursday of crippling its political activities by blocking the party’s access to its bank accounts, in what it described as a heavy-handed response to a tax dispute just weeks before the crucial general election.

Officials from the party, the Indian National Congress, said eight of 11 main accounts in four banks had been frozen and there was no clear indication when the party would regain access to the money.

“We cannot support our employees; we cannot support our candidates,” Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said at a news conference in New Delhi. ‘Our leaders cannot fly. Forget flying, they can’t take a train.”

“Our ability to fight elections has been damaged,” he said.

Campaigning is underway for the six-week elections that start on April 19 and will determine the next prime minister for the world’s most populous democracy. To run election campaigns from the Himalayas to India’s southern coasts, political groups are spending billions of dollars in what is seen as one of the most expensive elections in the world.

Under Indian law, political groups are exempt from paying income tax on their private and corporate funding, but must declare their income to tax authorities every year. The current dispute concerns how severely the Indian National Congress should be punished for past irregularities.

Last month, the country’s income tax department, which is controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, froze the Congress party’s accounts on allegations that it had been 45 days late in filing tax returns on its cash contributions for the 2017 financial year. 2018. The department also took from the party bank accounts Of the $16 million he said was owed in fines, $2 million was owed.

The Congress party has acknowledged that it filed tax returns late, but says the fine should be in the thousands of dollars instead of the millions.

Last week, a Delhi high court refused to interfere with the tax authorities’ order, saying it could not prevent authorities from freezing the party’s accounts.

In recent years, opposition groups have accused Mr. Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of establishing a virtual monopoly on political financing. They accuse Modi of using his office’s powers to enrich his party and dry up funding for competitors.

Congress party leaders said freezing the accounts so close to elections was a political move aimed at paralyzing India’s main opposition group and pushing the country towards one-party rule.

“The idea that India is a democracy is a lie,” Gandhi said.

Mr Modi’s officials rejected the claims, describing them as a desperate attempt by a political opposition struggling in an election campaign that is likely to return the BJP to power.

Ravi Shankar Prasad, a ruling party leader, said the tax exemption for any political group would remain valid only if the group declared any contributions to national tax authorities on time.

“In total desperation over the impending defeat, the Congress party at the highest level today tried to create an alibi,” Prasad said on Thursday.

The issue of political financing has exploded in India in recent weeks. The country’s highest court recently forced the government-owned State Bank of India to release a list of all those who had made anonymous political donations through a financing mechanism known as ‘electoral bonds’. helping those in power.

Mr Modi’s party received the largest amount of the funds, more than ten times what went to the Indian National Congress.

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Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas dote on daughter Malti Marie, 2, as they take her to temple in India for blessings

Sabir Ansary — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 06:19:34 +0000

By Amy Lamare for Dailymail.Com

Published: 6:36 PM EDT, March 20, 2024 | Updated: 02:12 EDT, March 21, 2024

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are enjoying some time as a family in her native India.

The couple took their daughter Malti Marie, two, to the Ram Mandir Temple in Ayodhya, India.

For the religious event, the Quantio star, 41, looked stunning in a vibrant yellow sari and round lens sunglasses.

The Waffle House singer wore a traditional kurta and Malti wore a traditional Indian dress in pink. Both mother and daughter applied bindis on their foreheads.

“Blessings to the little one and the family,” she captioned her Instagram post.

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are enjoying some time as a family in her native India

The couple took their daughter Malti Marie, two, to the Ram Mandir Temple in Ayodhya, India

While at the temple, the famous family posed for photos with the priests before leaving.

Earlier in the day, the famous couple was spotted at Ayodhya airport.

Priyanka’s mother, Dr. Madhu Chopra, accompanied them to the temple in a beautiful red saree.

The family has been in India for a few days. Priyanka and Malti flew in for the opening of the Bulgari store in Mumbai on Thursday evening.

A few days later, Nick joined his wife and daughter.

While they are in Mumbai, the Citadel star also finds time to not only attend, but also introduce the upcoming documentary Woman of My Billion.

The film tells the true story of a woman’s journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to meet women who have faced violence

Priyanka’s production company Purple Pebble Pictures produced the documentary, which airs on Amazon Prime.

For the religious event, the Quantio star, 41, looked stunning in a vibrant yellow sari and round lens sunglasses

The Waffle House singer wore a traditional kurta and Malti wore a traditional Indian dress in pink. Both mother and daughter applied bindis on their foreheads

“Blessings to the little one and the family,” she captioned her Instagram post

Priyanka’s mother, Dr. Madhu Chopra, accompanied them to the temple in a beautiful red saree

While at the temple, the famous family posed for photos with the priests before leaving

Priyanka asked for blessings for her young daughter and her family at the temple

‘When I saw this film – WOMB (Women Of My Billions), a country that belongs to so many people, and just knowing violence against women is not something that happens in India, it is a global phenomenon that is not talked about much will be ,” she said about why she supported the project.

The film also stars Pragya Prasun, who has spent her life rehabilitating women who have faced violence, Priyanka explains.

“As a company, we, Purple Pebble Pictures, stand as a springboard for filmmakers who want to tell stories they are passionate about,” she added.

Women of My Billions is about Srishti Bakshi, the UN Women Champion of Change, who embarks on a journey, walking 3,800 km in 240 days, from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, meeting women from all over and learning first-hand along the way about women’s experiences. from India.

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5G data consumption four times faster than 4G in India: report

Sabir Ansary — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 22:06:38 +0000

The launch of 5G has proven to be a major catalyst for the growth of data usage and will contribute to 15 percent of all data traffic by 2023, the findings show.

Representative image

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) 5G users in India are using around 3.6 times more mobile data traffic compared to 4G since it was launched in October 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a report showed on Wednesday.

Average monthly data traffic per user also increased by 24 percent year-on-year in 2023, to 24.1 gigabytes per user per month.

India’s 5G device ecosystem is rapidly evolving: About 17 percent of active 4G devices, totaling 134 million out of 796 million, are now 5G-enabled.

“5G data consumption in India is four times faster than 4G,” said the ‘Nokia Mobile Broadband Index’ report.

In 2023, users consumed 17.4 exabytes per month, with a CAGR of 26 percent over the past five years.

The launch of 5G has proven to be a major catalyst for the growth of data usage and will contribute to 15 percent of all data traffic by 2023, the findings show.

“What is immediately apparent is the incredible spread of 5G technology across India and the increasing demand for ultra-fast 5G data speeds,” said Tarun Chhabra, Head of Mobile Networks Business at Nokia (India).

5G traffic has shown substantial growth across telecom circles, with metro circles leading the way, reaching a 20 percent share of total mobile data traffic.

Improved availability and performance of 5G, coupled with the availability of a wide range of affordable devices, as well as the introduction of new data-intensive apps and services, will accelerate the future growth of 5G, the report found.

The rise of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) will also serve as a key enabler for new services both at home and at work, with FWA users expected to consume an estimated 2.5 times more data than average 5G users, the report said.

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HD Deve Gowda, twelfth Prime Minister of India

Sabir Ansary — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 19:55:25 +0000

He is credited with ensuring financial closure and kick-starting the development of the Delhi Metro Project.

HD Deve Gowda (1996-1997): HD Deve Gowda, born on May 18, 1933, was the twelfth Prime Minister of India from June 1, 1996 to April 21, 1997.

The Congress Party led by PV Narasimha Rao lost the 1996 general elections and there was no other party with a majority to form a government. Subsequently, the United Front, a conglomerate of non-Congress and non-BJP regional parties, decided to form the government at the Center with the support of the Congress, and Deve Gowda was elected as the twelfth party.^e Prime Minister of India on June 1, 1996.

He is credited with ensuring financial closure and kick-starting the development of the Delhi Metro Project.

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Who is Charles Sobhraj’s wife? Meet The Real Serpent’s Much Younger Husband, Nihita Biswas, Who Married Him in Prison

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Table tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal was India’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

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Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas dote on daughter Malti Marie, 2, as they take her to temple in India for blessings

Share or comment on this article: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas dote on daughter Malti Marie, 2, as they take her to temple in India for blessings

5G data consumption four times faster than 4G in India: report

The launch of 5G has proven to be a major catalyst for the growth of data usage and will contribute to 15 percent of all data traffic by 2023, the findings show.

HD Deve Gowda, twelfth Prime Minister of India

He is credited with ensuring financial closure and kick-starting the development of the Delhi Metro Project.