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Archives for August 2018

Facebook removes 32 accounts ahead of US mid-term elections

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In its bid to curb foreign meddling in US elections, Facebook has removed 32 accounts for suspicious activities and hiding their true identities ahead of the mid-term Congressional polls in November.

“This kind of behaviour is not allowed on Facebook because we don’t want people or organisations creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they are, or what they’re doing,” Facebook said in a statement in a statement on Tuesday.

The social network said that these bad actors involved in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” had connection with protests that are planned in Washington next week.

Among the deleted pages was one called “Resisters,” which had created a Facebook Event – “No Unite the Right 2-DC” – a counterdemonstration to Unite the Right 2-DC rally planned for August 12 in Washington.

“We’re still in the very early stages of our investigation and don’t have all the facts… We are sharing what we know today given the connection between these bad actors and protests that are planned in Washington next week. We will update this post with more details when we have them, or if the facts we have change,” Facebook added.

The social network founded by Mark Zuckerberg found itself at the centre of controversy during the 2016 presidential election for the use of its platform to spread fake news and sowing seeds of discontent among voters.

Referring to the 32 pages and accounts that it removed, Facebook said that “whoever set up these accounts went to much greater lengths to obscure their true identities than the Russian-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) has in the past.”

IRA is accused by Facebook and the US Department of Justice of having played a key role in the campaign of hoaxes and fake news on controversial and divisive issues designed to try to influence the 2016 election in which Donald Trump won the White House, Efe reported.

In the current probe, the tech giant eliminated eight Facebook Pages and 17 profiles, as well as seven Instagram accounts.

“In total, more than 290,000 accounts followed at least one of these Pages, the earliest of which was created in March 2017,” said Facebook.

Debt-ridden MP bank employee commits suicide along with family

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A debt-ridden Central Bank employee killed himself along with his wife and daughter by jumping in a well in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district, police said.

The deceased have been identified as the bank’s cash van driver Vinod Baraskar, his wife Sushila Baraskar, and their four-year-old daughter Purvi.

The Baraskars had gone for their daughter’s medical check-up on Tuesday morning but did not return. Their bodies were later found in a well, 30 km from the district headquarters.

According to Saikheda Police Station Sub-Inspector, O.P. Sharma, he got to know about the incident on Tuesday afternoon. The bodies were then sent for post-mortem in the district hospital.

A suicide note was found which read: “I have a debt of over Rs 2 lakh. The debtors are troubling me, so I’m committing suicide along with my family.”

Sustainable fashion need of hour: Tarun Tahiliani

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Ace designer Tarun Tahiliani says it is time for sustainable fashion, but it doesn’t mean creating disposable outfits “for some silly fashion fantasies”.

His comment comes amidst the backlash that international luxury brand Burberry is facing for burning unsold clothing and beauty products worth millions of pounds. Social media users have criticised the company for wastefully destroying clothing instead of putting it on sale or donating it to a charitable cause, as part of a practice used by luxury brands to keep their products in the hands of only those who can afford them at full price.

“The need of the hour is sustainable fashion. I think the need of the hour should be sustainable everything,” Tahiliani told IANS over an email.

“We know that we are living at the limits of what this planet can take in terms of the over-plundering of its resources, so I think we are way past the time unless we want to risk further dire consequences of unpredictable patterns of weather which result in crazy rainfall, drought, water shortages and food shortages at a very basic level before we get to anything else, and all the other repercussions which we don’t even understand from global warming,” added the designer, whose creations represent modern India in a glamorousway but have Indian heritage art and craft at its core.

For Tahiliani, sustainable fashion is all about using largely natural materials.

“But also quality fashion as opposed to disposable fashion where billions of pieces are made and discarded every year for some silly fashion fantasies.

“I think sustainable fashion supports elegance; it supports people dressing as they feel appropriate and dressing with dignity. The more we do this and stop making fashion something new that has to be discarded and reinvented every month, our approach to buying better quality and buying less but buying with finesse would change and I think that’s very sustainable.”

Tahiliani says organic fabrics are in vogue.

“Though often it could be blended fabric that looks organic — often in the case of heavy embroideries — nets or blended tulles are preferred which can take heavier embroideries — so it depends. But Indian textile has always been exquisite and there has been a wonderful revival, particularly since people wear so much western clothing that is not handloom based.”

The designer launched his eponymous label in 1990, and has styled Bollywood celebrities like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Lisa Haydon, Shilpa Shetty, Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone. He also styled global icon Oprah Winfrey in an orange and pink Kanjeevaram sari during her visit to India in 2011.

He will be participating in the sixth edition of The Vogue Wedding Show (VWS). Held in partnership with Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris, the three-day specially curated wedding exhibition will start from August 3 at the Taj Palace hotel here.

Talking about the event, he said: “We will showcase ‘Elysium’, our couture and occasion wear collection. It celebrates the modern Indian goddess…Shimmering florals and weightless drapes are rendered in an ethereal lightness of being.

“Juxtaposing iconic European construction with classic Indian styles and embroideries, this collection exemplifies an India Modern aesthetic.”

Pointing out some wedding trends which will make it big, he said: “I think comfort is key. The most popular request I get is just ‘please let me be comfortable’, and it is repeatedly the most often thank you, gratitude texts we get after weddings to say that they looked fabulous, but also they felt like a dream and they were weightless and the clothes moved on them and they can’t wait to wear them again.

Srikanth advances at Badminton World Championships

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Indian star Kidambi Srikanth has entered the third round of the men’s singles category at the Badminton World Championships following a hard-fought win over Pablo Abian of Spain.

The fifth-seeded Indian needed more than an hour to clinch a 21-15, 12-21, 21-14 victory over his unseeded opponent.

Srikanth will face another unseeded opponent in American Daren Liew in the next round.

The American defeated Misha Zilberman of Israel 21-16, 21-16 in the second round.

The first game was a closely fought see-saw affair before Srikanth clinched four back-to-back points to reach game point at 20-13. Although the Spaniard managed to reduce the deficit, it was not enough to prevent the Indian from taking the opening game.

Abian made a strong comeback in the second game. He went into the break with a narrow 11-10 lead and took the game away from Srikanth immediately after the restart with an awe-inspiring run of seven consecutive points.

The third and decisive game was also a neck-and-neck fight, but Srikanth held his own in the closing stages to clinch the issue.

I’ve always been attracted to faults: ‘Luke Cage’ star

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American actor Theo Rossi, popular for playing the bad guy with scalp tattoos in “Sons of Anarchy” and supervillain Hernan “Shades” Alvarez in Marvel’s “Luke Cage”, says he has always been attracted to faults as they are “very human”. He is also interested in playing Batman as he is one of the superheroes who has a “lot of baggage”.

Asked if playing a bad character comes naturally to him, Rossi told IANS in a telephonic interview from Austin, Texas: “I wish I could say no, but yes it does. It’s always easier to play a bad character or a villain you might say because usually they have way more depth. You learn a lot more about them. There is a lot more history.”

“Whereas in the case of heroes, you usually don’t really learn so much about them. They are just the heroes…just the good guys…we all have issues and we all have things that are wrong. It depends on what level. I have always been attracted to faults because faults are very human.”

But he feels “really lucky because if you look at my three biggest projects – ‘Sons of Anarchy’, ‘Luke Cage’ and ‘Lowriders’, the characters that I have played are being loved in the end by the fans so even though they are portrayed as the bad guys, they are actually the most liked characters in the project”.

Elaborating more, Rossi said: “Juice was the most loved character on ‘Sons of Anarchy’. People love Shades. They feel for him. Then Ghost in ‘Lowriders’. They understand him and feel bad for him.”

“So even though they might be the bad guys in theory, they are actually the good guys that people like. I have been very fortunate that I don’t get to play just straight black and white guys. I play kind of the ones that are questionable. That’s the best kind of character to play.”

What about playing a superhero?

“Yeah. I mean only if he had a lot of like depth and maybe one like the Punisher or Batman…the ones that have a lot of baggage with them. They are kind of dark to begin with. I think those are the best heroes,” said Rossi.

He is playing a supervillain in a Marvel show but wants to play DC Comics’ superhero!

“You know when I grew up, there was no such thing as difference (between the two comics). We just read them all. So I treat them all the same,” said the actor of “Lowriders”, which will soon air on Sony PIX in India.

Meanwhile, Rossi is excited about “Vault”.

“One of my films is coming out…’Vault’. It’s my first movie where I kind of carry the project. It is a really special movie to me. It is based on a true story. My company is involved in producing that. It is set in 1972. It’s something that my company is involved in..in a small role producing and I am also starring in. That I am really excited for.

“We have another film coming out called ‘Ghost of War’ by the director (Eric Bress) of ‘The Butterfly Effect’ and ‘Final Destination’. I am really enjoying the moment of everybody really loving ‘Luke Cage’ season 2,” he said.

Stalin mourns death of 21 DMK members over Karunanidhi’s ill health

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DMK leader M.K. Stalin on Wednesday said he was shocked to learn about the reported death of 21 party cadres in shock and grief following the hospitalization of party leader M. Karunanidhi.

In a statement, Stalin urged the party members not to resort to activities that will lead to their death.

Karunanidhi’s son expressed his condolences to the families of the dead DMK members.

Citing the statement of Kauvery Hospital where the 94-year old veteran politician is admitted, Stalin said their leader’s health was normalizing.

On July 31, the hospital said Karunanidhi will have to be remain warded for an extended period owing to age-related health issues including altered liver function.

Karunanidhi, who was Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister for five times and who has never lost an election in the 13 times he has contested, was admitted to the Kauvery Hospital on July 28 following a drop in blood pressure.

“He was resuscitated and stabilized in the ICU (intensive care unit) and managed by a team of doctors and nurses,” the statement said.

“There was a setback on his clinical condition on July 29 due to difficulty in breathing. He responded well to medical management and his vital signs are gradually normalized,” it said.

According to the hospital, Karunanidhi continues to maintain his vital signs with active medical support.

CCTVs will expose human trafficking: Kejriwal

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CCTVs will expose human trafficking in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday, alleging “a complete breakdown of law and order” in the capital.

In a series of tweets, the Aam Aadmi Party leader targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Lt Governor Anil Baijal and Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

His comments came after the Delhi Commission for Women rescued 74 girls who were victims of human trafficking and were kept at various locations in Delhi.

“Complete breakdown of law and order in Delhi. Is it possible at such a large scale without collusion at the top? BJP, LG and Rajnathji ought to respond. People of Delhi feeling unsafe,” Kejriwal said.

“CCTV cameras will expose such crimes, the people behind it and make police accountable. If police were to give license for CCTV, will police ever give license to install CCTV cameras at such places? Never,” he added.

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