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By BY JIM TANKERSLEY AND STEPHANIE LAI from NYT World
An earthquake of 3.8 magnitude was recorded in Haryana's Jhajjar with tremors in Delhi and surrounding areas on Sunday morning, the first day of the new year, the National Center for Seismology said.
There were no reports of any injuries or damage.
A delicate pashmina yarn holds promise for hundreds of women in Kashmir valley. Powered by a modified charkha, over 200 women spinners have ended the year 2022 with doubling their output and income.
The modification in the age-old charkha has changed the life of Shaesta Bilal. Since the income is based on output of spinning, the foot pedal charkha has come to her aid.
In Srinagar's downtown area, women like Shaesta are spinning the finest yarn in the world and modified charkha has given them confidence and self-reliance.
"This (modified charka) has given us the means to make a living so that we are self-reliant. Thank God we are earning more and we are not dependent on anybody. Now I'm not financially dependent on my husband," said Shaesta Bilal.
Ms Shaesta was given a new charkha and training by a pashmina shawl trader in Srinagar a year ago. Since then she has graduated to a resource person for other women.
Over the last one year, more than 200 women have been trained and given modified charkhas. The initiative is part of an effort to protect and preserve the genuine age-old craft of pashmina shawls, which is facing a massive invasion of fake and machine-made shawls.
The government has also started GI (geographical indicator) tagging of Kashmiri shawls to preserve its unique character and value in the market.
Over the years, the number of women spinning pashmina has come down drastically in Kashmir valley, mainly due to low wages and less output on the traditional charkha.
According to Mujtaba Qadri, who owns the training centre for women spinners and equip them with the new charkha, the modifications in the tool were made by Shere-e-Kashmir Agricultural University a few years ago.
"I started training with a few women initially. Once we saw the results that we were able to double the produce, which in turns doubles the income of women, I decided to run this programme," said Mujaba, who runs a family shawl business.
Besides providing modified charkha for free, Mujtaba also give a-15 day training course to women spinners. "From our centre, over 200 women have been trained in the last one year and we have provided them modified charkha as well," he said.
At the centre, Nusrat Begum says life has become a bit easier for her after she was trained to use the new charkha. From squatting on the floor to sitting on a chair, her spinning production has doubled.
"It has helped me a great deal. I used to spin three gram of yarn on the old charkha. Now I can spin six grams," said Ms Begum.
For centuries, the secret behind Kashmir's elegant pashmina shawls is fine spinning by women. It further goes to master artisans for weaving. For making some shawls with intricate work, it takes months and even a year to weave.
While the new charkha helps women spin more and earn more, the wages are still less. For a knot, which is 10 threads of yarn, they are being paid Re 1.5. They want more.
"The charkha is very useful to us. We are thankful to Qadri sahib as he gave us this charkha for free and we are doing very well on it. We work at home and also train others. We requested him if could increase our wages," said Yasmeena.
An 18-month-old child suffered serious injuries all over the body after a pack of stray dogs attacked him in front of his house in Kollam district of Kerala on Friday.
The boy, a native of nearby Mayyanadu, is undergoing treatment at the district hospital, family members said.
The incident happened when the child was playing in front of the house and his grandmother had just stepped inside the house after giving him food, they said.
Hearing the screams of the child, the woman rushed to the front yard of the house and got shocked seeing around 25 stray dogs mauling him.
"The incident happened when I just went inside the house for a while to take something. There were at least 25 dogs around the child. I somehow chased them away with a wooden plank and rescued him," she said.
The child was rushed to the hospital with the help of neighbours and he is being treated now, she added.
Several places in Kerala have been facing stray dog menace for some time and over 20 people have succumbed to rabies this year alone, according to figures.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pele was the best-loved footballer of his or any other generation, the eternal master of the beautiful game. He won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, his sumptuous range of skills making him the embodiment of his country's golden age of football. When he finally retired in 1977, Pele had scored more than 1,000 goals. He scored 77 for Brazil, a mark only equalled at the recent World Cup by Neymar.
But his impact on his sport went far beyond the pitch as he also became a money-making phenomenon, lending his name to sportswear, credit cards and watches among an array of products. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in October 1940, Pele played his first game for Santos as a 15-year-old in 1956.
He earned a call-up to the national team a year later, scoring on his debut against Argentina. In 1958 he was picked for the World Cup in Sweden. His participation at the finals had been a matter of fierce debate in Brazil, with many critics questioning whether the slender-framed teenager was ready for the physical demands of the tournament.
Nursing a knee injury on arrival in Sweden, Pele was unavailable for Brazil's opening two matches. He might also have been forced to sit out their third, against the Soviet Union, had coach Vicente Feola decided to heed the advice of a team psychologist who had urged that Pele was "infantile" and not fit for duty.
In the event Feola opted to play the youngster, and it paid off. Working in tandem with Garrincha and his famously bent legs, Pele gave a virtuoso display as the Soviets were vanquished 2-0. Once in the team, Pele made it impossible for him to be removed. A winning goal in the quarter-final against Wales and a hat-trick in the 5-2 semi-final victory over France were followed by two more in the final win over Sweden.
Still only 17, Pele had become the youngest World Cup winner in history. The next two tournaments, however, were to be unhappy experiences. Twenty-one by the time of the 1962 World Cup in Chile, an older, stronger Pele had been expected to take the tournament by storm.
He gave a tantalising glimpse of what he was capable of with an electric individual goal against Mexico in Brazil's opening 2-0 win. But he aggravated an existing injury in the second game, against the Czechs, and was forced to sit out the remainder of the tournament as his countrymen successfully defended their title.
Pele's frustration that injury had limited his appearances in Chile were nothing compared to the sickening disappointment of England in 1966 where, unprotected by referees, he was literally kicked out of the tournament. Brutally assaulted by Bulgaria's defence in the first game to the extent that he was forced to miss the second match, the nadir came against Portugal. Two crippling challenges by Joao Morais left a tearful Pele being carried from the Goodison Park pitch in Liverpool swearing never to play in a World Cup again.
"I don't want to finish my life as an invalid," he said.
Synonymous with beautiful game
Thankfully, Pele's disconsolate vow was to prove an empty threat. He returned four years later in Mexico to spearhead what is regarded as the greatest team of all time. Where 1966 had been viewed as a victory for cynicism, the 1970 tournament, and Pele and Brazil's winning contribution to it, have become synonymous with the beautiful game.
It is a testament to the quality of Pele's play in Mexico that he is remembered for the goals he didn't score as much as for the ones he did. An outrageous attempt to lob Czechoslovakia's goalkeeper from inside his own half and a magical dummy against Uruguay in the semi-finals are among the finest moments of World Cup history.
Though he was to continue playing club football for his beloved Santos and later the New York Cosmos, Pele retired from international duty in 1971, making an emotional farewell in front of 180,000 fans at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
"Pele was the most complete player I've ever seen," England's Bobby Moore recalled later. "He had everything."
Once his World Cup heroics were finished, Pele, who was nicknamed "O Rei" (The King) and finished on 91 caps, helped try to kickstart an American revolution in football. In 1977, he inspired New York to the national title in his final season with the club which featured fellow greats Franz Beckenbauer, Italian striker Giorgio Chinaglia and former Brazil captain Carlos Alberto.
He appeared in the 1981 film Escape to Victory about Allied prisoners of war during World War II along with the likes of Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone and Moore. Between 1995 and 1998, he was even Brazil's Extraordinary Minister for Sport, while he also regularly appeared in public as an ambassador for numerous commercial brands.
He suffered a series of health problems in later life, undergoing surgery on his hips, kidney stones and on a colon tumor. That did not stop him living life to the full, and he married for the third time in 2016, tying the knot with Marcia Aoki.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale was arrested by Gujarat police from Delhi late Thursday evening in a case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowdfunding, said a senior official here.
Gokhale was arrested by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch and was being brought here for further legal process, said the senior police official, adding that they would arrive by Friday afternoon.
This was for the third time Gokhale was arrested this month by Gujarat Police.
He was first arrested by the Cyber Crime Branch on December 6 for allegedly spreading fake news regarding the cost incurred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Morbi town following a bridge collapse tragedy.
On December 1, Gokhale had shared a news clipping about information purportedly obtained through the Right to Information claiming that Modi's visit to Morbi after the bridge collapse cost Rs 30 crore.
Soon after he received bail from a court here, the TMC leader was again arrested on December 8 by the Morbi police for the same offence registered there. He was granted bail the next day.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The internet giant Google asked its users to share and discuss their first search on the search engine, as the countdown to New Year's 2023 has already started around the world. Similar to other Google products, the post quickly gained a lot of traction on social media.
On its Twitter handle, the search engine giant asked the users, "What's your first Google search of 2023 going to be?"
what's your first Google search of 2023 going to be?
— Google (@Google) December 29, 2022
The post became an instant hit since the popularity of the tech giant is greater than any other tech company; within an hour, the post received over 350,000 views and more than 2000 likes. The number of comments is steadily increasing as people express their desires for what they want to search for in 2023.
"How to become a billionaire without doing anything," wrote one user. Another user commented, "Would Russia become a world power at the end of this year?"
"Mine will be in the form of a question: "Why do browsers put users at risk from hackers, scammers, and malware producers"?" commented a third user.
Meanwhile, Google, the world's most popular search engine, is working on making text and voice internet search available in over 100 Indian languages.
Its India-born CEO, Sundar Pichai, who was in India this month, said the pace of technological change in the country has been extraordinary, and Google is supporting small businesses and startups, investing in cybersecurity, providing education and skills training, and applying AI (artificial intelligence) in sectors like agriculture and healthcare.
"I'm here to see progress being made from our $10 billion, 10-year India Digitization Fund (IDF), and share new ways. We're helping to advance India's digital future at our Google for India event."
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said today that Mumbai belongs to the state and "not to anyone's father", strongly condemning the "make Mumbai a Union Territory" remark by Karnataka minister J Madhu Swamy. Maharashtra, he said, will write to Karnataka and Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the issue. Union minister Shah will be requested to reprimand such "motormouths," he added.
Amid the raging boundary dispute, Mr Madhu Swamy had made a strong attack on Maharashtra in the legislative assembly.
"It is being said that they (Maharashtra leaders) have taken a decision and said that Belagavi should be declared a Union Territory, I want to tell those people that there are two or three such cities in the country which can be made Union Territories... Mumbai is the top of them. It was like a Union Territory during Mumbai or Bombay presidency... if those people want the good of the country, then show a big heart and announce that Bombay will be made a Union Territory," he had said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basvaraj Bommai said, "we will not give even an inch of our land".
Speaking in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today, Mr Fadnavis said the state's feelings will be conveyed to the Karnataka government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra and not to anyone's father," Mr Fadnavis was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India. "We will not tolerate anyone staking claim over Mumbai and we will put forth our feelings before the Karnataka government and Union home minister," he said, reported PTI.
Leader of the Opposition Ajit Pawar had flagged the issue, naming the Karnataka minister. "(Bharatiya Janata Party MLA) Laxman Savadi said Mumbai belongs to Karnataka and has rubbed salt on the Marathi people's wounds," he had said.
At a meeting between the chief ministers of the two states with Amit Shah earlier this month, it was decided that no fresh claim would be made by either party while the matter was pending in the Supreme Court, he said.
"The comments by Karnataka MLAs or the Karnataka Congress president are contrary to what was decided. We will not tolerate any claim staked on Mumbai. We condemn this," Mr Fadnavis said.
The Karnataka leaders' reaction came after both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature had unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday to "legally pursue" the inclusion of "every inch" of the land of Belgaum, Karwar Bidar, Nipani, Bhalki cities and the 865 Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka into the western state.
Mr Shinde, who had moved the resolution, also condemned the remarks by Karnataka leaders.
As the year 2022 is about to end, Bollywood celebs have been sharing posts looking back at their journey of this year. The recent celeb to join the list is Kriti Sanon. The actress had a "fabulous year" as she won not one but two Best Actress awards in a lead role category for her film Mimi, one at the Filmfare Awards and another at International India Film Academy (IIFA) 2022. However, now she is kind of ready to "move on". On Instagram, the actress has shared a reel summing up her "2022 Memories." From her BTS moments from the shooting of films to her fitness regime, the video includes all the memories.
Sharing the post, Kriti Sanon captioned it as "2022 You were fabulous!! But.. I'm kinda ready to move on..." Soon after she shared the post, her fans flooded the comment section. A user wrote, "Ufff Cuteness Overloaded," while another wrote, "Blessed with bestest ever."
Here have a look:
Kriti Sanon had a great year as she won two awards and her film Bhediya, co-starring Varun Dhawan, was also well received by the audience. Also, she launched her fitness brand, The Tribe.
Meanwhile, the actress keeps her Insta family updated by sharing her pictures. A few days ago, she shared a post featuring her with Shahid Kapoor. In the caption, she wrote, "KS & SK," followed by a heart emoticon.
Here have a look:
A few days ago, she shared a video introducing her "Krack Team". "Meet my Krack Team! My people, my backbone, my home away from home, my friends like family! Its a Krazy Krack bunch of beautiful hearts! What would i do without you guys?! Watch the vlog on my YouTube Channel! Live Now!" read her caption.
Here have a look:
On the work front, next year, Kriti Sanon will be seen in three films Ganapath with Tiger Shroff, Shehzada with Kartik Aaryan and Adipurush with Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan.
The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday shared a video showing a new set of revamped train coaches. The 'coach facelift' initiative has been undertaken by the Sealdah Division of the Eastern Railway in order to revamp the otherwise-dull train coaches and make them more vibrant. The video shows a coach of a local train operating in West Bengal, facelifted with colourful art and bright LED lights. The walls of the coach can be seen adorned with murals and paintings, portraying India's diverse culture.
Sharing the video, Indian Railways wrote, ''Uplifting your Travel Experience! A coach facelift initiative has been undertaken by the Sealdah Division of @EasternRailway, where coaches are being adorned with art. Catch a glimpse of a train that runs on the Sealdah-Bangaon section.''
Watch the video here:
Uplifting your Travel Experience!
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) December 27, 2022
A coach facelift initiative has been undertaken by the Sealdah Division of @EasternRailway, where coaches are being adorned with art. Catch a glimpse of a train that runs on the Sealdah-Bangaon section. pic.twitter.com/9mfaajAxxb
Many users flocked to the comment section to appreciate the unique initiative and praised Indian Railways. One user wrote, ''Great initiative to showcase and save the rich Indian and especially regional culture in the form of art.I think trains on all local routes could be decorated like this and in other similar designs !!!'' Another said, ''Great initiative by team.''
However, not everyone was impressed with the art. Many found it unappealing and said that the Railways should focus more on improving its service and pay heed to problems faced by commuters.
A third user reacted to the video and wrote, ''Gaudy Awful Claustrophobic... Graffiti Artists do better JobsDo some Good Maintenance n Improve Services n Coach Quality instead.''
A fourth commented, ''Please!! Employ good and professional artists for this. Else leave it as is. This is not a facelift. Its a spoiler!!'' A fifth added, ''Painting uplifts the travel experience? A waste of money in my books.''
On Sunday, when the Indian cricket team faces off against Pakistan in Dubai, the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi will host the beginning of a ...