title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Los Machos is a Colombian drug trafficking paramilitary organization. The group started as Montoya's security force. Oscar Varela Garcia alias "Capachivo" is posed as the most likely candidate to assume leadership. Fifty-four-year-old Varela, along with the Robayo brothers, has control of Montoya's security force of Los Machos. Varela started his career as a hitman with Wilber Varela for the late drug baron Orlando Henao Montoya. Varela remained friends with Wilber Varela until he sided with Montoya during the Montoya-Varela war. Oscar Varela's name became known after he organized the Jamundí massacre, where ten investigative agents were murdered by a corrupt military unit. On July 5, 2008, Varela was captured by Colombian authorities in a farmhouse in Palmira, Valle del Cauca. The operation was during the early morning where Varela was captured while he was sleeping in his underwear with his girlfriend.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Jorge Urdinola Perea alias "La Iguana" ("The Iguana") is another potential candidate. Urdinola is 42 years old and is cousin to the late drug baron Ivan Urdinola Grajales. He owns and operates many drug laboratories in the cartel's stronghold of the Canon Of Garrapatas and in the Colombian state of Choco. He is also the current leader of Diego Montoya's private army and hit squad "Los Machos". If Urdinola assumes control, his brother Hilbert Urdinola Perea alias "Don H" (Mr. H), will also co-lead. On June 25, 2008, Jorge Urdinola Perea was captured by Colombian authorities in Zarzal, Valle del Cauca.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: The fourth possible candidate was 39-year-old Gildardo Rodriguez Herrera alias "El Señor de la Camisa" ("The Man of the Shirt"). He started his career as a leftist guerrilla and after spending ten years at Montoya's side he learned the trade. He also managed Montoya's security forces of Los Machos. After Montoya's arrest, Gildardo was starting to gain strength until Colombian authorities captured him on May 16, 2008, in a farmhouse in the Colombian state of Cundinamarca. The arrest was made possible on information provided by an informant who was paid the reward money.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Los Rastrojos was a Colombian drug trafficking paramilitary organization. The group was formed by Norte del Valle cartel capo Wilber Varela, alias "Jabon" and one of his right-hand men, "Diego Rastrojo", around 2004 when Varela fell out with fellow-capo Diego Leon Montoya, alias "Don Diego". The group became independent after the murder of its main founder in Venezuela in 2008 and has since become one of the most important drug trafficking organization in Colombia.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Authorities now believe Wilber Varela's main captains Diego Perez Henao alias "Diego Rastrojo" and Luis Enrique Calle alias "Combatiente" ("Combatant") conspired with AUC commander Carlos Mario Jiménez alias "Macaco" to murder Varela. With the murder of Varela, Jimenez consolidated himself as the maximum authority in drug trafficking in Colombia controlling the drug trade in ten Colombian states and having authority over the cartel. His control lasted until his extradition in 2008. Luis Enrique Calle's rise to power will include his brother Javier Antonio Calle. Together they operated Varela's drug laboratories and oversaw transportation through their controlled drug routes. Under Jimenez's conditions, the Varela organization was to leave any interests in Medellin and Antioquia and share power between Henao and the Calle brothers.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Other Varela organization members of interest include Gilmer Humberto Quintero, alias "Cabezon" ("Big Head"), Ramon Quintero Sanclemente alias "Lucas" (arrested in Ecuador in April 2010, deported to Colombia for extradition proceedings to the United States), Jaime Umberto Palomino alias "Piernas Locas" ("Crazy Legs"), Roberto Londono Velez, Jaime Alberto Marin Zamora alias "Beto" (beto was captured in Venezuela in 2010), Jose Ignacio Bedoya Velez, and Diego Perez Henao's brother Wilmar Perez Henao. Longtime Varela partner Ramon Quintero is suspected of being the most powerful and experienced target but is suspected of being at war with Diego Perez Henao over a 10 million dollar dispute.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: Gilmer Humberto Quintero was found dead inside a police station bathroom with a shot in the head. Apparently, he committed suicide with a .25 caliber pistol he had hidden from police when he was captured June 14, 2008.


title: Norte del Valle Cartel

text: After Laureano Renteria's mysterious murder in his jail cell and the capture of Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía in Brazil, authorities identified Aldemar Rojas Mosquera as the most likely inheritor of Ramirez's organization.


title: Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir

text: On 5 August 2019, the Parliament of India voted in favour of a resolution tabled by Home Minister Amit Shah to revoke the temporary special status, or , granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir—a region administered by India as a state which consists of the larger part of Kashmir which has been the subject of dispute among India, Pakistan, and China since 1947.


text: Among the Indian government actions accompanying the revocation was the cutting off of communication lines in the Kashmir Valley restored after 5 months. Thousands of security forces were deployed to curb any uprising. Several leading Kashmiri politicians were taken into custody, including the former chief minister. Government officials described these restrictions as designed for preempting violence, and justified the revocation for enabling people of the state to access government programmes such as reservation, right to education and right to information.


text: The reaction in the Kashmir Valley was effectively reduced to silence through the suspension of communication and with imposition of Curfew (Section 144). Many nationalists celebrated, declaring the move to herald public order and prosperity in Kashmir. Among political parties in India, the revocation was supported by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, and, among others, by the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Aam Aadmi Party, AIADMK, Telugu Desam Party, YSR Congress Party, BJD and the Shiv Sena. It was opposed by the Indian National Congress, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Trinamool Congress, Janata Dal (United) and the DMK. In Ladakh, people in the Kargil area, who are Shia Muslim and form the plurality of the population of Ladakh, protested; however, the Buddhist community in Ladakh supported the decision.


text: The President of India issued an order under the power of Article 370, overriding the prevailing 1954 Presidential Order and nullifying all the provisions of autonomy granted to the state. The Home Minister introduced a Reorganisation Bill in the Indian Parliament, seeking to divide the state into two union territories to be governed by a lieutenant governor and a unicameral legislature. The resolution seeking the revocation of the temporary special status under Article 370 and the bill for the state's reorganisation was debated and passed by the Rajya Sabha – India's upper house of parliament – on 5 August 2019. On 6 August, the Lok Sabha – India's lower house of parliament – debated and passed the reorganisation bill along with the resolution recommending the revocation.


text: Article 370 of the Indian constitution gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir — a state in India, located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, and a part of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan and China. The Article conferred power on Jammu and Kashmir to have a separate constitution, a state flag and autonomy over the internal administration of the state. The Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, after its establishment, was empowered to recommend the articles of the Indian constitution that should be applied to the state or to abrogate the Article 370 altogether. After consultation with the state's Constituent Assembly, the 1954 Presidential Order was issued, specifying the articles of the Indian constitution that applied to the state. The Constituent Assembly dissolved itself without recommending the abrogation of Article 370, the article was deemed to have become a permanent feature of the Indian Constitution. This article, along with Article 35A, defined that the Jammu and Kashmir state's residents live under a separate set of laws, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights, as compared to residents of other Indian states.


text: Under various Indian National Congress party-led central governments and locally elected state governments — such as those of the National Conference — between 1954 and 2011, India used the provisions of Article 370 to issue presidential orders to extend the Indian constitution to Jammu and Kashmir with the concurrence of the State Government, and reduce the state's autonomy. These past Presidential orders under Article 370 are also controversial and a subject of the Kashmir dispute. Political scientist Sumantra Bose, a Kashmir scholar, sums up the politics of the period 1953–63, during which Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad served as the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in these words: Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed’s term in office lasted a full decade, until October 1963. The sequence of events during that decade strongly suggests a contractual relationship between Bakshi and the government of India, whereby he would be allowed to run an unrepresentative, unaccountable government in Srinagar in return for facilitating IJK’s "integration" with India on New Delhi’s terms. The result was twofold: a crippling of rule of law and democratic institutions in IJK; and an erosion of IJK’s autonomy, achieved (as required by Article 370) with the "concurrence" of IJK’s government—which consisted of a motley clique of New Delhi's client politicians." Further, in Bose's view, the 1954 Presidential order and the subsequent orders began "the end for the Article 370" and it has "effectively been dead in letter and in spirit since that time".


text: Since the partition of India and Pakistan on religious lines, the Hindutva organizations in India have stated that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral, inseparable part of India. As in past election manifestos, the Bharatiya Janata Party included the integration of Jammu and Kashmir among its campaign promises for the 2019 Indian general election. The BJP and its allies won a landslide majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. On 5 August 2019, India issued a Presidential order superseding the 1954 order that made all the provisions of the Indian constitution applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. Following the resolutions passed in both houses of the parliament, the President of India issued a further order on 6 August declaring all the clauses of Article 370 except clause 1 to be inoperative.


text: On 5 August 2019, some political parties of Jammu and Kashmir met at the home of Farooq Abdullah and released a joint statement, called Gupkar Declaration, that pledged to defend and safeguard the identity, autonomy and special status of Jammu and Kashmir.


text: Article 370 of the Constitution of India was a 'temporary provision' inserted on 17 October 1949 which gave special powers to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, lawfully authorising it to have its own constitution. Accordingly, the provisions of only Article 1 and Article 370 of the Indian Constitution applied to the state. So, for the Central government to extend the coverage of a central law to the state on subjects included in the Instrument of Accession (IoA), it needed "consultation" while for extending the coverage of laws on other subjects, it needed "concurrence" of the state government. Similarly, Article 35A of the Constitution of India, introduced through a constitutional order in 1954, authorised the state legislature to define 'permanent residents'. Those defined as permanent residents were entitled to property rights, employment, scholarships and other social benefits in the state.


text: After the 1954 order, forty-seven Presidential orders were issued between 11 February 1956 and 19 February 1994, making various other provisions of the Constitution of India applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. All these orders were issued with the 'concurrence of the Government of the State' without any Constituent Assembly. Some of these Presidential orders were issued when the state was under President's rule and had "no Kashmir government at all", states Jill Cottrell. The effect of the Presidential orders issued between 1954 and 1994 had been to extend 94 of the 97 subjects in the Union List (the powers of the Central Government), and 260 of the 395 Articles of the Constitution of India to the State of Jammu and Kashmir.


text: In April 2018, the Supreme Court of India ruled that Article 370 had attained permanency since the state constituent assembly has ceased to exist. To overcome this legal challenge, the Indian government instead rendered Article 370 as 'inoperative' even though it still exists in the constitution. On 5 August, a presidential order was issued – the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 2019 – which superseded the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954.


text: The August 2019 Presidential order stated that all the provisions of the Indian Constitution applied to Jammu and Kashmir. This in effect meant that the separate Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir stood abrogated, and a single constitution now applied to all the Indian states. The President issued the order with the "concurrence of the Government of State of Jammu and Kashmir". This in effect meant the concurrence of the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir since President's rule was imposed at that time in the state. The order was issued using the third clause of Article 370, which authorised the President of India to declare the article inoperative with exceptions and modifications, if recommended by the (non-existent) state constituent assembly to do so. To circumvent the legal issue of the non-existent state constituent assembly, the President used the Clause (I) of Article 370, which conferred him with the power to modify the Indian Constitution on subjects related to Jammu and Kashmir. So he first added a new clause to Article 367, which deals with interpretation of the Constitution. He replaced the phrase 'Constituent Assembly of the State' with 'Legislative Assembly of the State'. Since the state legislative assembly has been suspended, the order says that any reference to the legislative assembly will be construed as a reference to the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. The governor is an appointee of the Central government. Therefore, the Indian Parliament now functions for the state legislative assembly.


text: Hence, the Indian Home Minister moved a resolution in the Rajya Sabha to give the President the necessary recommendation he needs to declare Article 370 as inoperative. Subsequently, the statutory resolution seeking the revocation of the special status under Article 370 and the bill for the state's reorganisation was debated and passed by the Rajya Sabha on 5 August 2019 with 125 (67%) votes in its favour and 61 (33%) against it. On 6 August, the bill for the reorganisation was debated and passed by the Lok Sabha with 370 (86%) votes in its favour and 70 (14%) against it, and the resolution recommending the revocation was passed by 351 votes in favour and 72 against.


text: On 28 August 2019, the Supreme Court of India agreed to hear multiple petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and the subsequent bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. It constituted a five-judge bench for the same. The court also issued notices to the government, seeking a reply to the petitions, whereby declining pleas by the government which argued that the notices could be cited in international forums such as the United Nations. Additionally, the court ordered the government to reply within seven days to a petition seeking an end to the restrictions on communications as well as other restrictions in the region.


text: The Supreme Court heard the petitions on 30 September 2019. It allowed the central government to submit its replies to the petitions in 30 days and fixed 14 November 2019 as the next date of hearing. The petitioners wanted the court to issue an injunction against reorganisation of the state into two union territories but the court declined to issue any injunction. This means that the two union territories came into existence on 31 October 2019 as planned.


text: In an article for the Indian Law Review, Balu G. Nair noted the orders to be "constitutionally suspect". Deva Zaid finds the orders to be extra-constitutional. Rajeev Dhavan opined that Art. 370 can't be "abrogated". Gautam Bhatia found the entire episode to be fraught with legal and constitutional defects. Suhrith Parthasarathy opined the orders to be unconstitutional.


text: Prior to the revocation of the status, the Ministry of Home Affairs granted approval for the mobilization of thousands of paramilitary security troops into Jammu and Kashmir, citing reason to maintain law and order in the area. On 2 August, Indian Army said that the Pakistan Army and terrorists are "planning to upscale violence" and tried to "target the Yatra recently." The Government of India notified students and tourists, both local and foreign, to leave Jammu and Kashmir. These actions sparked fears that India would soon be revoking Jammu and Kashmir's special status. However, on 3 August, Omar Abdullah said that Governor Satya Pal Malik "assured him there was no initiative in progress to dilute Article 35A of the Constitution, start delimitation or trifurcate."


text: On 4 August, satellite phones were distributed in central, north and south Kashmir among the security forces. The government thereafter ordered a total communication blackout, shutting down cable TV, landlines, cellphones and the Internet. Many news sources reported an effective curfew (although "The Telegraph" of Kolkata reports that the government did not officially announce a curfew). Doctors and district administrators were advised to remain on standby.


text: Prior to the 5 August revocation announcement, Section 144 curfew was imposed in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, the Hindu-majority Jammu region and the Muslim & Buddhist populated Ladakh region. The current lockdown was far more intense in the Srinagar (Kashmir) region, where "people are used to curfews and living under a heavy security presence", according to "The Guardian" newspaper. Concrete barricades blocked roads every few hundred meters. Shops and clinics were closed, as were all educational institutions and a red alert was sounded across Jammu and Kashmir. The government lifted Section 144 curfew and reopened schools in some Jammu region districts effective 10 August 2019.


text: Many Indian media reported that they had no information coming from the Kashmir Valley and could not even ascertain if their correspondents were safe or not. Journalists were not issued curfew passes. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that Qazi Shibli – a local journalist and editor of news website "The Kashmiriyat Walla", was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on 28 July 2019 on unspecified charges, but it was unclear on 5 August 2019 if he is still under arrest. Many journalists reported being stopped by soldiers and others stated they had to send photos out of the state via USB flash drives. A local journalist told CPJ that "I fear that they will arrest journalists, especially those who will report what is happening". CPJ later reported that at least 2 journalists were detained amid tensions in Jammu and Kashmir.


text: In addition to local Kashmiri journalists, editors of several Indian newspapers and television stations complained that their teams have not been able to send in their reports from most of the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, except for a few blocks in Srinagar. However, the managing editor of the Indian Times Now English news channel, Navika Kumar said, "her channel had not faced much restriction broadcasting from Kashmir and reporters were sending feeds through satellite-linked outside broadcasting vans", according to Reuters. The Times Now and other media groups of India have been criticized as "conformist" and alleged to "look like they are afraid of the government" by H. K. Dua – a former media advisor of two former Indian prime ministers.


text: More than 4,000 Kashmiri protesters were reported to be arrested by 18 August, including several Kashmiri leaders to prevent any protest or outbreak of violence. This figure was about 500 by 9 August. Jammu and Kashmir's former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, and MLAs Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami and Engineer Rashid were among those placed under "preventive detention" by the security forces.


text: In January 2020, Human Rights Watch reported that the Indian government-imposed clampdown in Kashmir is being slowly and gradually eased of restrictions, but to a large extent continues to fail in preserving the rights of the Kashmiri people. The lawyers, shop keepers, rights activists, students, who had been under arrest have been released, but on the condition of never criticising the government in the future again. Meanwhile, some notable political figures including former chief ministers, too, continue to remain in custody.


text: India's Foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar defended the clampdown saying that this was done to prevent an outbreak of violence and civilian casualties, citing the unrest caused after the death of militant Burhan Wani in 2016. He said that it was not possible to stop communication among militants without putting the entire region under a blackout.


text: The Government of Jammu and Kashmir stated that the restrictions on Internet access, among other restrictions, were imposed to preempt the disruption of public order by various "anti-national" elements. It said that the misuse of data services and Internet by "terrorists" to conduct terrorism and to incite people by spreading fake news necessitated such restrictions, which will be gradually reduced.


text: On 16 August, B. V. R. Subrahmanyam – the chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, announced that the government will lift lockdown and remove some restrictions in a phased manner in the Kashmir Valley. According to Reuters, telephone services were to be resumed in parts of Srinagar on 16 August 2019, only to face delays in implementation. Landline phone services, indicated Subrahmanyam, would be restored in most of Srinagar by 18 August 2019. Central government was adamant about reopening schools in the valley in the week of 19 August 2019 amid curfew-like situation. However, when some schools were opened in the valley, several media reported that children did not go to schools at all. According to Subrahmanyam, "12 of 22 [Jammu and Kashmir] districts were already functioning normally, and measures have been put in place to ensure zero loss of lives on any side or serious injuries to anyone. Telecom connectivity will be eased and restored in a phased manner keeping in mind the constant threat by terror organizations".


text: As of 25 August 2019, landline services were restored in most places in the Kashmir Valley. On September 4, only 50,000 landline connections were operational throughout the valley. On 14 October 2019, postpaid mobile phone services were fully restored in the region. As of 3 January 2020, mobile Internet has still not been fully restored in the region. At 153 days and counting, this has become the largest internet shutdown in India.


text: On 13 January 2020, an article by Reuters reported that the Internet services have not been fully restored in Kashmir, forcing Kashmiris to board a crowded train – dubbed as the 'Internet Express' – to travel to a nearby town of Banihal for using Internet at cybercafes for 300 rupees ($4.20) an hour. The Vice President of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Majeed Mir, claims almost 500,000 jobs have been lost since the blockade, stating that "irreversible damage has been caused to the economy".


text: On 14 January 2020, broadband Internet services were restored to select organizations/individuals in the Kashmir Valley and 2G mobile services were restored in five districts located in the Jammu region.


text: On 18 January 2020, 2G Internet service was restored for 153 white listed websites in all the 10 districts of Jammu Division and in 2 districts Kupwara and Bandipura of Kashmir Valley for postpaid mobile service. Voice call and SMS services were also restored for the whole Union Territory.


text: On 25 January 2020, 2G Internet services were restored for all 20 districts on both pre-paid and postpaid mobiles for 301 white-listed websites.


text: As of 26 February 2020, broadband Internet services remain banned to the general public. Until 4 March 2020, the number of whitelisted websites were increased. Still only 2G Internet service was accessible. On 4 March 2020, Internet services were fully restored but restricted to 2G Internet speed.


text: From July 2020, the Indian Union government will allow Indian security forces to buy land in certain areas of the Indian administered Kashmir. This is a reversal from an earlier policy, where the Indian security forces had to request special permission to buy land in the area. Only locals were able to buy land in Indian administered Kashmir, however, with the government scrapping Kashmir's autonomy, Indian security forces can buy land and live in Kashmir.


text: On 16 August 2020, high speed mobile internet services (4G/LTE) were restored in two districts of the union territory of J&K on a trial basis, after Supreme Court of India ruled last month that indefinite shutdown was illegal.


text: In a verdict delivered on petitions filed against the restrictions imposed in Jammu and Kashmir, the Supreme Court ordered a review of all the curbs on usage of Internet services. The court pointed out that freedom to access Internet services is a fundamental right as per Article 19(1) of the Indian Constitution. It also noted that Section 144 of India's Code of Criminal Procedure is not to be used for suppressing people's expression, ordering the local administration to publish every usage of that provision to enable its public scrutiny.


text: The most recent Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti called it the "blackest day of Indian democracy". She felt that the Indian Parliament snatched away everything from the people of Jammu and Kashmir. In a tweet on 4 August 2019, she said that the decision of Jammu and Kashmir leadership to reject two-nation theory in 1947 and align with India had backfired.


text: Former chief minister Omar Abdullah called the government's move on the Article 370 "unilateral and shocking". He deemed it a "total betrayal of the trust that the people of Jammu and Kashmir had reposed in India when the state acceded to it in 1947".


text: Asgar Ali Karbalai, former Chief Executive Councillor of Kargil's Hill Development Council, said people in Kargil considered any division of the state on the grounds of "religion, language or region" as undemocratic. Certain religious and political organisations in Kargil, including the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust, condemned the Indian government for acting "without the consent from the people" and called for a general strike in the Kargil district.


text: Kashmiri politician Shah Faesal denounced the move, saying that "This is being seen as the biggest betrayal by the Indian state in last 70 years. It was not possible to reach Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Sajjad Gani Lone or send a message to them. In other districts, curfew is all the more strict. You can say that the entire eight-million population has been incarcerated like never before," and in an interview with "The Guardian", described that the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status was "an insult to the dignity of the people. My belief is that it will have immediate and long-term consequences. We will see ground mobilisation in the coming days and in the long run you will have sentiment of alienation going further and [it will] erupt. The common refrain is that everything has finished. Everything has been snatched from us. These are the common lines on every Kashmiri's lips these days. We have no choice left but to resist." Faesal was apparently detained by Indian security forces on 14 August 2019, leading to a statement by over 100 people associated with Harvard University (his alma mater) condemning the detention and calling for the release of Faesal and other Kashmiri leaders.


text: The member of the Lok Sabha for Ladakh constituency, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, praised the abrogation of Article 370 and the proposed formation of a separate Ladakh union territory, hoping the move will encourage jobs and development. He added "Under Kashmir, our development, our political aspiration, our identity, our language, if all of this got lost, it is because of Article 370—and the Congress party is responsible for that".<ref name="livemint/9aug2019"></ref> Namgyal also said that the move had support from all regions of Ladakh, including Kargil.


text: The move to abrogate Article 370 and establish a union territory in Ladakh was welcomed by the Ladakh Buddhist Association who then organised a thanksgiving celebration in Leh to on 8 August 2019, which was attended by political and religious leaders. The Buddhist community in Leh and Ladakh stated they have been long ignored, the revocation and reorganisation will help them steer their own destiny.


text: Many local political parties and groups, such as the Kashmiri Hindu organisation Panun Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Workers Party and IkkJutt Jammu lauded the removal of Article 370 and 35A and the integration of Jammu and Kashmir.


text: It was reported that celebrations had taken place in Jammu with people distributing sweets, dancing and playing drums.


text: Representatives of the Kashmiri Hindu Community, who were displaced from the Kashmir Valley as a result of ongoing violence welcomed the move and hoped that members of their community, numbering between 300,000 and 400,000 people will be able to return.


text: The day of 15 August was marked by Ladakh as its 'first independence day'. Banners were put up thanking the prime minister Narendra Modi and commemorating the four youth activists who died while agitating for union territory status. Similar celebrations were also noticed in Jammu among the Gujjar Bakarwals, Sikhs, Valmikis and West Pakistan refugees, who were all victims of Srinagar's discriminatory laws. The residents of Jammu felt that Jammu was always ignored for funds and resources, and they hoped the reorganisation would bring in development. Kashmiri Pandit refugees in Jammu hoped for rehabilitation.


text: The historian Ramachandra Guha said that the President of India had apparently acted in "haste" and the revocation is an "arbitrary misuse of state power". The constitutional scholar A. G. Noorani said that the Indian government's decision to abrogate Article 370 through controversial means was "utterly and palpably unconstitutional", even fraudulent. It is headed for a "showdown in India's Supreme Court".


text: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen criticized the government and said that he was "not proud as an Indian". He regarded the detention of Kashmiri political leaders as "a classical colonial excuse" to prevent backlash against the Indian government's decision and called for a democratic solution that would involve Kashmiri people.


text: Indian novelist Arundhati Roy criticized the Indian government in her opinion piece in "The New York Times".


text: The leaders of the Indian National Congress – India's main opposition party – was divided on the revocation of Article 370. Some Congress leaders such as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, a congress leader condemned the government's arrest of Kashmiri leaders Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah. Other leaders of Rajasthan Congress and Gehlot's cabinet welcomed the revocation. Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh, a congress leader also termed the revocation of Article 370 as "totally unconstitutional" and said "this will set a bad precedent as it would mean that the Centre could reorganise any state in the country by simply imposing President's rule." The Punjab chief minister also banned any form of celebrations or protests in his state in matters relating to Article 370, ordering increased security to some 8,000 Kashmiri students studying in Punjab.


text: Rahul Gandhi criticized the Indian government for arresting the Kashmiri political leaders and called the detentions "unconstitutional & undemocratic."


text: On 24 August, a delegation of opposition leaders had attempted to visit Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the situation. The delegation was a 12-member team composed of Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, K. C. Venugopal, Anand Sharma, D. Raja, Sitaram Yechury, Dinesh Trivedi, Tiruchi Siva, Manoj Jha, Sharad Yadav, Majeed Memon, and D. Kupendra Reddy. However, the team was sent back upon reaching Srinagar.


text: Hundreds of people protested in New Delhi to protest against the Indian government decision and called it a "death of Indian democracy". The protesters asked Indian government to reconsider its decision. D. Raja, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, called the Indian government move "an assault on Indian constitution". The Tamil Nadu-based regional Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party leader M. K. Stalin, along with West Bengal-based All India Trinamool Congress party leader Derek O'Brien opposed the revocation. Stalin called the move as "murder of democracy", while O'Brien called it a "procedural harakiri".


text: The Indian National Congress party members filed two petitions in the Supreme Court of India, requesting an urgent hearing. One challenged the revocation, while the other challenged the communications blackout and curfew in Kashmir region in which approximately 500 people were arrested, including several Kashmiri leaders. The Supreme Court rejected the "urgent hearing" request, placing the petitions to its normal proceedings.


text: Arjun Sharma, a noted freelance journalist from Jammu penned in his article that while Ladakh was rejoicing the UT status it got after disintegration of J&K, Jammu was suspicious of whether the perceived discrimination towards Jammu will end or not.


text: The Indian Government justified its action by saying that this will help end violence and militancy in the state and enable people to access government schemes such as reservation, right to education and right to information among other schemes.


text: The constitutional expert Subhash C. Kashyap, according to BBC News, states that the revocation was "constitutionally sound" and that "no legal and constitutional fault can be found in it".


text: The revocation of Article 370 was passed by an overwhelming majority of support in the Indian parliament. It has attracted not only the support of the Hindu nationalist parties such as the BJP, but many other Indian political parties that typically oppose the BJP.


text: Some senior Congress leaders openly came out in support of the action. Former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh said that the revocation had an in-principle support from the Congress party but its execution was not appropriate. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Chief Minister of Haryana, supported the government's decision saying that the Congress party has "lost its way". Jyotiraditya Scindia, also supported the government's action to remove article 370. He wrote on Twitter, "I support the move on #JammuAndKashmir & #Ladakh and its full integration into union of India." Similarly, Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda contended that the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir "is in the interest of national integrity". Congress Rajya Sabha chief whip, Bhubaneswar Kalita resigned over Congress's stand on revoking special status of Jammu and Kashmir and stated that, "The ideology of Congress today looks like it is committing suicide and I do not want to be a part of it." Congress politician Janardan Dwivedi welcomed the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, saying even though it came late, a "historical mistake" had been corrected.


text: The Bahujan Samaj Party and its leader Mayawati, as well as Aam Aadmi Party leader (and Chief Minister of Delhi) Arvind Kejriwal supported the revocation of Article 370. Explaining her decision to support the revocation, Mayawati stated that Article 370 and 35A had caused social, economic and political injustice in Jammu and Kashmir, and the people – including the Buddhists – will now get the long-pending benefits that was denied to them. She stated, "the Buddhist followers of Ambedkar were feeling happy".


text: The Telangana and Andhra Pradesh-based YSR Congress Party's parliamentary party leader V. Vijayasai Reddy supported the scrapping of Article 370 and termed the step as a "courageous and daring" step by Amit Shah. Member of Parliament from Telugu Desam Party, Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar said, "I must congratulate the Home Minister and PM as by strong implementation of this, the people of J&K must be relieved from all this tension and live happily and become a part of the country" and welcomed the move. The Odisha-based Biju Janata Dal and Tamil Nadu-based All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party also supported the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir special status.


text: Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, a prominent Indian Muslim organisation, supported the decision to abrogate Article 370 saying that the integration of Kashmir with India is in the interest of Kashmiri people.


text: Calling it a dynamic place for tourism, the MEPs who visited Kashmir also said that all protests should be against terrorism in the valley, which is mostly from people of foreign countries. During their two-day-stay, the parliamentarians also interacted with the people in the valley, and pointed towards the integration of Kashmir with the beginning of their engagement with the civil society.


text: 6 August onward, Pakistan responded in numerous ways. The Foreign Office issued a statement stating India's revocation was an illegal "unilateral step". Pakistan's army chief said that the Pakistan Army would "go to any extent" to support the people of Kashmir. On 7 August, an emergency joint parliamentary sitting passed a resolution to condemn India's move. A meeting of the National Security Committee decided to downgrade Pakistan's diplomatic relations with India. The "Samjhauta Express" train service and the "Thar Express" were suspended. All cultural exchanges with India were suspended, including banning the screening of Indian films and dramas inside Pakistan. On 9 August 2019, Pakistan formally suspended most of its trade relations with India. On 11 August 2019, prime minister Imran Khan compared the Indian government to "Nazis", warning that global inaction over Kashmir would be same as "appeasing Hitler". He accused that India was attempting to change the demography of the Muslim majority Kashmir through ethnic cleansing. Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi issued a statement on Tuesday 13 August 2019 that he had written a letter to the president of the United Nations Security Council with a request to convene an emergency meeting of the council to discuss India's "illegal actions that violate UN resolutions on Kashmir". The foreign minister also called for circulation of the letter among members of the Security Council. On 20 August 2019, Pakistan announced that it will take the dispute to the International Court of Justice, adding that its case would centre on alleged human rights violations by India.


text: On 4 August 2020, Pakistan's government released an updated political map which included Pakistan's territorial claims on Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, the Siachen Glacier, the eastern banks of Sir Creek, as well as Junagadh and Manavadar in India's Gujarat region. The map also annotated Ladakh's boundary with China as "frontier undefined", whose status would be formalised by "the sovereign authorities concerned after the settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute." The map was adopted for official use throughout Pakistan. The government renamed the Kashmir Highway, which runs through Islamabad, as Srinagar Highway. On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the revocation of Kashmir's special status, Pakistan also observed 5 August 2020 as "Youm-e-Istehsal" ("Day of Exploitation") nationally. Rallies and seminars were arranged to express solidarity with Kashmiris.


text: Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying opposed the integration of the Ladakh Union Territory into India's administrative jurisdiction, saying "it undermined China's territorial sovereignty" she went on to say: "India's action is unacceptable and would not have any legal effect," regarding disputed territory on the China–India border. Regarding Kashmir in general, Hua affirmed that "the Kashmir issue is an issue left from the past between India and Pakistan". On 9 August, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi after meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that China is "seriously concerned about the turbulence and escalating tensions" in Kashmir, and that "China will continue to firmly support the Pakistan side in safeguarding its legitimate rights."


text: On 12 June 2020, a report said that Chinese think-tank has linked the tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China with Article 370.


text: On 9 August, according to a Reuters report, over 10,000 people protested in Srinagar against the Indian government's decision to revoke Article 370, with some protesters pelting stones at government security personnel. In response, Indian police used tear gas and pellets against the protesters to disperse them.<ref name="reuters/9aug2019"></ref> According to Al Jazeera, it has been receiving information from Srinagar residents via satellite phones and Wi-Fi available in the Kashmir region. They have reported protests on Friday. Clashes were occurring between the protesters and Indian forces, accompanied with pellet gun attack and the firing of tear gas shells by the Indian Forces.Some report that the pellet gun attacks have severely wounded and lacerated civilians.


text: The Indian government called the Reuters report "completely fabricated and incorrect", but acknowledged that after the Friday mosque prayers, there were "a few stray protests in Srinagar/Baramulla and none involved a crowd of more than 20 people". "The Wire" said that the visuals published by BBC belie the Government reports.


text: According to the BBC, it witnessed the police opening gunfire and using tear gas to disperse a crowd in Srinagar after Friday prayers on 9 August 2019. This witness report contradicts the Indian government statement that the "protest never took place". On 11 August, the Jammu and Kashmir director general of police, Dilbag Singh told Reuters, "between 1,000 and 1,500 people were returning from praying at mosques on Friday when 'some miscreants' started pelting stones at security officials", and in a reaction to the stone-pelting, rounds of pump-action gun was fired that caused injuries to a few people. According to Reuters, hundreds of people protested in Srinagar on 11 August, after authorities had eased restrictions in the city over the weekend to allow people to buy groceries, medicines and prepare for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha.


text: According to "India Today", in the Hindu majority Jammu region, people held widespread "massive celebratory" demonstrations over several days with the distribution of sweets, bursting of firecrackers and dancing. In Ladakh, the Buddhist organizations celebrated the removal of Article 370 provisions and making the Ladakh region a separate Union Territory. The people in Leh and Matho celebrated 15 August as a day of "independence from Kashmir" and welcomed their Union Territory status.


text: In the Kargil region with a Muslim majority, there were protests against the Indian government's move to make it a union territory.


text: A number of demonstrations and rallies were organised in London, England after India scrapped autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. A large number of protesters demonstrated outside the Indian High Commission in London on 10 August 2019 to express anger over Indian action. There was another demonstration outside the Palace of Westminster on 14 August. A large protest took place outside the Indian High Commission in London the following day, in which Indians celebrating Indian Independence Day were attacked. Eggs, glass bottles, shoes and other objects were thrown at the High Commission and the people celebrating by the anti-India protesters, who were mostly British Pakistanis and Sikh extremists. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson later expressed "regret" over this violent incident, and assured that all necessary steps will be taken to ensure the safety and security of the embassy, its personnel, and visitors.


text: On 3 September, another violent protest took place outside the Indian High Commission in London, when pro-Pakistan protesters pelted stones and eggs at the High Commission building, causing damage to the premises. London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted, "I utterly condemn this unacceptable behaviour and have raised this incident with the Metropolitan Police to take action." The Metropolitan Police made two arrests for causing criminal damage at the Indian High Commission following the incident. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned the violence towards British Indians while addressing Parliament.


text: There were protest demonstrations outside the Indian consulate in Birmingham on 9 August to denounce the Indian revocation of autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. Former Member of the British Parliament George Galloway was also part of the protest gathering and demanded a plebiscite in Kashmir.


text: A large number of protesters took to streets in Toronto, Canada on 11 August 2019 in support of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Demonstrators chanted protest slogans and carried placards. The event description read "Kashmiris do not accept the illegal occupation or unilateral colonial impositions by India. Kashmiris are sovereign Indigenous people who have the right of self-determination and government".


text: People in Calgary, Canada held a demonstration outside the Calgary City Hall on 8 August 2019 against the clampdown and to support the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The demonstrators said that 800,000 military personnel were deployed in Kashmir and the Internet and communications were blacked out and they did not know what was happening to their families.


text: In the week after India announced the revocation, members of the Kashmiri Muslim community, according to the Pakistani newspaper "Dawn", held a number of protest demonstrations in the United States in the cities of Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle against India's removal of autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. Protesters also gathered outside the White House on 10 August 2019 and urged Washington to help the people of Kashmir. Pakistan's ambassador Asad Majeed Khan held community events asking the United States to "inject some more sanity on the Indian side". Ghulam Nabi Fai, a Kashmiri diaspora alleged that the Indian plan is "not only to deprive them [Kashmiris] of their rights but to subjugate them through widespread killings and torture", while another protester originally hailing from Srinagar stressed that now was the time for the United States to mediate.


text: On 25 August 2019, according to "India Today", the Kashmiri Pandit community in the US held a rally supporting the decision, saying that Article 370 was "discriminatory" towards minorities in the Kashmir region. At their rally, they told personal stories of their minority status in the Kashmir valley, the religious discrimination against them, their forced exodus in the 1990s, and they wanting to "go back to their homeland [valley]" which they left due to Islamic militancy. At an Atlanta rally, the protestors alleged that the Article 370 was highly discriminatory against the resident "Shias, Dalits, Gujjars, Kashmiri Pandits, Kashmiri Sikhs" in the state, according to "India Today".


text: Many protest demonstrations have been reported in Bangladesh against the change of autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan's Abb Takk News channel reported that hundreds protested in Dhaka on 6 August 2019 against the Indian move. Again on 7 August 2019, there was another demonstration in the city of Dhaka where the protesters criticized Narendra Modi and his scrapping of autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir. There was another demonstration on Thursday 8 August 2019 at the University of Dhaka by several Kashmiri students from different educational institutions. There were more protests on 9 August 2019 after Friday prayers which were led by the Kashmir Solidarity Council Bangladesh.


text: On 12 August 2019, Bahrain took punitive action against a group of Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals who held a protest on the Kashmir decision the previous day. The protest was conducted after Eid al-Adha prayers in Bahrain illegally. The official Twitter handle of the country's Interior Ministry tweeted about the action taken by the local police to contain the protests and also about the legal proceedings being taken against them. Bahrain authorities further requested its citizens to not exploit religious gatherings to further political motives.


text: Protests were held in Paris, France on 9 August 2019 to denounce Indian step of abrogation of autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. The protesters alleged that India was conspiring to change the demography of Kashmir by expelling Kashmiris from their homes and bringing in Hindu settlers from other parts of India.


text: Pro-India and anti-India protesters faced off each other in Melbourne, Australia. Kashmiri Pandit groups welcomed India's decision, but the Pakistani community in Australia expressed "deep concern" regarding the situation in Kashmir. Indian groups in Australia said that this is something India has done internally and Pakistan has no right to interfere in India's internal matters.


text: Geo News reported that members of the Kashmiri community gathered at the Pariser Platz of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate and protested against India on 11 August 2019.


text: In South Korea, a group of protesters in Seoul who waved Pakistani flags and shouted anti-India slogans—along with abuses towards Modi—were confronted by an Indian delegation including Indian activist Shazia Ilmi. The Indian delegation started to counter the protesters, following which the local police intervened and escorted Shazia Ilmi and her associates from the location.


text: Several human rights activists and world leaders also commented on their social media accounts about the Kashmir situation. On Twitter, hashtags such as #KashmirBleeds became top trends.


text: According to "India Today" and other Indian media sources, several fabricated images and videos have appeared on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. A closer examination of these photos and videos established that these are fabricated propaganda that utilized old photos or videos and the posters misrepresent them to be "current situation in Kashmir".


text: According to "Dawn", a Pakistan-based newspaper, the Kashmir blackout has led to an "online misinformation war". "The Nation", in its editorial said, "The lack of coverage in Kashmir has increased the likelihood of misinformation and panic being spread, all of which puts the lives of Kashmiris in danger and uncertainty."


text: The Indian Home Ministry alleged that "several Pakistani handles are spreading fake news", and asked Twitter to block a list of accounts. Separately, the Jammu and Kashmir superintendent of police has demanded Twitter to block an account that allegedly is spreading rumors. The demand letter states that such rumours harm the law and order situation and is a "threat to lives". They allege that the platform is posting "objectionable and malicious" content. Twitter has blocked four of these accounts, and its officials stated that they are reviewing some others. This included the Twitter account of Syed Ali Shah Geelani who is a Kashmiri separatist Hurriyat leader.


text: Indian government accused the BBC and Reuters of lying and fabricating news about large scale protests in Kashmir, even though they were recorded on video. According to "India Today", the authenticity of the BBC video about the protest has been questioned because it is an edited combination of a series of clips and it shows an absence of police and security personnel almost everywhere the edited video, even though Kashmir was under a lockdown with heavy security deployment on 9 August 2019 – the day the video was recorded and posted by the BBC. According to "India Today", a portion of the video is authentically from Dullbagh Road in Srinagar, but it is unclear if it is a fresh video or an old video clip inserted in. Some Indians allege that parts of this video are from Pakistan-administered Kashmir.


text: Impact of the Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir encompassed a year without high-speed Internet, changes in the politics and bureaucracy of the region, priority of counter-insurgency & counter-terrorism operations, new domicile rules, talks of restoration of statehood, judicial lethargy, and decline in stone-pelting among other things.


text: As per figures collected from Kashmir tourism department, the number of footfalls by tourists counted at its highest 1.8 lakhs in the month of March 2022 (post-abrogation of article 370), which is a record in the past 10 years.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: The series follows a girl named Coco, who dreams of being a witch, but in her world only those born with magical abilities are able to become witches. However, after meeting a witch named Qifrey, it seems like there may be hope for Coco after all.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: As of October 2022, "Witch Hat Atelier" had over 4.5 million copies in circulation. In 2020, The series won the Harvey Award for the Best Manga category as well as the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: Coco is a kind and daydreaming daughter of a dressmaker who aspires to become a witch; however because only innate magical users can practice and use magic, she has to give up on her dream. One day she meets a male witch named Qifrey and after she witnesses how he uses magic (by drawing magical runes and using magical ink), Coco accidentally casts a spell that turns her mother to stone.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: As Coco does not know which magic spell she cast and Qifrey is tracking the sinister coven that could be behind the incident, he takes Coco as his apprentice in order to undo the spell and allow her to fulfill her dream. As it is gradually revealed, the coven in question—the Brimmed Caps—have taken an extraordinary interest in Coco, hoping that she will help them revive the free use of magic, which was outlawed because of the atrocities committed with it in past times, with some of their repercussions still enduring in Coco's world. Because rune magic can be effectively made by everyone, the Assembly carefully watches over any abuse of it, even going as so far as to erase the memories of any uninitiated (called "Outsiders") when they discover this secret. Thus, as Coco immerses herself into this new, wondrous world, a sinister plot begins to thicken around her.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: The Witches' Assembly is the institution in Coco's world which governs the use of magic, its spreading (by regulating the enlistment and advancement of apprentices) and the maintenance of its secrecy. The seat of the Assembly is located in an underwater city called the Great Hall, which can only be reached by a certain stairwell descending into the depths of the earth, as well as special magic. This community is financed by the Five Kingdoms of the Zozah Peninsula, in exchange for freely serving the people in times of great need. However, the Assembly is endeavoring to remain neutral in the realms' politics.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: Also known as the Order of Moral Spellcasting, the is a subsidiary agency to the Assembly—specifically, its law enforcement branch. Its members are assigned to track any abuse of magic and hunt down perpetrators and victims for memory erasure.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: Written and illustrated by Kamome Shirahama, "Witch Hat Atelier" started in Kodansha's "seinen" manga magazine "" on July 22, 2016. Kodansha has compiled its chapters into individual "tankōbon" volumes. The first volume was published on January 23, 2017. As of October 21, 2022, eleven volumes have been published.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: In North America, Kodansha USA announced the acquisition of the series in July 2018. The first volume was published on April 9, 2019.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: A spin-off series titled , written and illustrated by Hiromi Satō, began in "Monthly Morning Two" on November 22, 2019. The first "tankōbon" volume was published on May 22, 2020. As of October 21, 2022, five volumes have been released.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: During their panel at Anime NYC 2022, Kodansha USA announced that they licensed "Witch Hat Kitchen" for a Fall 2023 release.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: The manga had over 700,000 copies in circulation in July 2018; 1 million by September 2018; 2.5 million by April 2022; and 4.5 million copies in circulation as of October 2022. The series ranked 6th on "Kono Manga ga Sugoi!"s top 20 manga for male readers 2018. The manga was nominated for the 11th Manga Taishō awards in 2018. "Witch Hat Atelier" ranked 1st on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics" by the Honya Club website in 2018. The manga was nominated for the 42nd and 44th Kodansha Manga Award in the General category in 2018 and 2020 respectively. It was nominated for the French 12th ACBD's Prix Asie de la Critique 2018.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: In 2019, "Witch Hat Atelier" won the Korean Ridibooks Comic Award 2019' Next Manga Award. The series has won three French awards: the "Daruma d'or manga" at the Japan Expo Awards 2019; the 2019 Mangawa Prize for best seinen manga; and the Babelio 2020 award in the manga category. It won the 24th Spanish Manga Barcelona award for the seinen category in 2018. The series was also picked as a nominee for "Best Youth Comic" at the 46th Angoulême International Comics Festival held in 2019. "Witch Hat Atelier" was chosen as one of the Best Manga at the Comic-Con International Best & Worst Manga of 2019.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: In 2020, "Witch Hat Atelier" was one of the manga titles that ranked on the "Top 10 Graphic Novels for Teens" by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association and ranked again on the 2021 list. Along with Taiyō Matsumoto's "Cats of the Louvre", the series won the 2020 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material in the Asia category for Kodansha USA's English release. In 2020, the series won the Harvey Awards for the Best Manga category.


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: Rebecca Silverman of "Anime News Network" rated the first two volumes an "A−". Silverman praised the series for its world, story, characters and artwork, and concluded that "this is one tale you don't want to miss".


title: Witch Hat Atelier

text: Writing for Barnes & Noble, Kelly Chiu listed the series on her list of "The Perfect Manga Matches for 10 Studio Ghibli Movies", and recommended the series to fans of Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away".


title: Ludi Lin

text: Ludi Lin () (born November 11, 1987) is a Canadian actor and model. He is known for playing Zack Taylor in the 2017 "Power Rangers" reboot, the underwater warrior Murk in "Aquaman" (2018), and Lance in a 2019 episode of the Netflix series "Black Mirror". He plays Liu Kang in the "Mortal Kombat" reboot.


title: Ludi Lin

text: Born in Fuzhou, China, Lin moved to Hong Kong at age 3. Then, he was sent abroad to boarding schools at age 9 in Sydney, Australia where he spent the bulk of his youth. His accent was different each time he moved, but he was considered as an outsider in Australia. "I had to fight a lot as a kid," Lin said, referring to how he learned street fighting just to defend his different accents. At age 17, he emigrated to Vancouver, Canada for university. He attended and graduated from the University of British Columbia with a double major in Dietetics and Theatre Performance. Lin also studied film and TV acting in Los Angeles. Lin currently resides in Vancouver and Beijing.


title: Ludi Lin

text: Lin is proficient in snowboarding as a competitive snowboarder, scuba diving, and martial arts. He studied Muay Thai in Thailand after graduating from high school, as well as Jiu-Jitsu and Olympic-style wrestling.


title: Ludi Lin

text: He became a vegan around 2016. In a video where he explains his dietary fundamentals on the Men's Health YouTube channel, Lin advocates a vegan diet saying "It's good for the Earth, it's good for my body, I feel good about it because animals are cute, and it is the only thing that is sustainable."


title: Ludi Lin

text: Lin is also a fan of comic books, manga, and anime. He is also an activist for Asian representation and speaking out against Asian racism with movements like Stop Asian Hate.


title: Ludi Lin

text: Lin started his acting career with short films and later landed his first major U.S. role in the movie, "Power Rangers".


title: Ludi Lin

text: He had previously auditioned for Shang-Chi from the Marvel movie, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and also for Spike Spiegel from the live action series, "Cowboy Bebop". He is also mentioned that he is a fan of the anime.


title: Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017

text: The "Billboard" Hot 100 is a chart that ranks the best-performing singles of the United States. Its data, published by "Billboard" magazine and compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, is based collectively on each single's weekly physical and digital sales, as well as airplay and streaming. At the end of a year, "Billboard" will publish an annual list of the 100 most successful songs throughout that year on the Hot 100 chart based on the information. For 2017, the list was published on December 11, calculated with data from December 3, 2016 to November 25, 2017.


text: "Closer" by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey was listed within the top 10 for the second year in a row, making it only the third song in history to achieve this, after Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" and LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live", both of which were ranked in the top ten of the 1997 and 1998 lists.


text: Ed Sheeran was named the top Hot 100 artist of 2017. He scored the number-one Hot 100 song of the year with "Shape of You", one of two songs he placed on the list.


title: Half Baked

text: Half Baked is a 1998 American stoner comedy film starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams, and Guillermo Díaz. The film was directed by Tamra Davis, co-written by Chappelle and Neal Brennan and produced by Robert Simonds. The film received negative reviews but has since become a cult film.


title: Half Baked

text: Four lifelong stoners and friends (Thurgood, Scarface, Brian, and Kenny) live together in New York City. Thurgood, a janitor at a medical lab, orders some


title: Half Baked

text: weed from Samson, the famous local dealer, and the four smoke it. When Kenny, a gentle kindergarten teacher, is out on a munchie run, he is arrested for accidentally killing a diabetic police horse by feeding it junk food. His friends are forced to raise $1 million to bail him out before the other prisoners take advantage of his gentle nature. While visiting Kenny in prison, Thurgood meets Mary Jane and pursues a romantic relationship, which is strained by his having to conceal his marijuana smoking from her, as she is adamantly anti-drug.


title: Half Baked

text: Thurgood gets asked one day by a scientist at the lab to get a pound of cannabis from storage and Thurgood freaks out when he realizes what the scientist had him get. The grateful scientist thanks Thurgood for the good deed by giving him some free weed. Thurgood brings it home and the three friends get high. Scarface gets the idea to have Thurgood steal medical marijuana from his work so that the three of them can sell it to raise money to free Kenny.


title: Half Baked

text: When the success of the friends' marijuana business grows enough to raise the ire of local drug lord Samson Simpson, Samson extorts them for $20,000 a week, while Mary Jane dumps Thurgood when she finds out he is dealing drugs. The friends plan a robbery of the medical laboratory to increase their earnings enough to both fend off Samson and free Kenny, but are arrested when they try to execute the plan.


title: Half Baked

text: Thurgood strikes a deal with the police to wear a wire to a meeting with Samson in exchange for freeing Kenny and dropping the charges against him and his friends. They meet with Samson, but their plan is exposed when the police detectives fail to arrive as backup since they are high. However, Thurgood and his friends are able to take out Samson's henchwomen, and Samson is taken out by the ghost of Jerry Garcia. The police detectives arrive soon after to arrest Samson and his henchwomen, while Thurgood and friends are released from police custody. Thurgood meets with Mary Jane to tell her he is giving up marijuana and wants to get back together. The film ends with their reuniting.


title: Half Baked

text: Co-writer Neal Brennan appears as an employee, while cameos include Jon Stewart as the enhancement smoker, Snoop Doggy Dogg as the scavenger smoker, Stephen Baldwin as the MacGyver smoker, Gladys O'Connor as the grandma smoker, Willie Nelson as the historian smoker, and Tracy Morgan as the V. J. Steven Wright makes an uncredited appearance, as do Janeane Garofalo and Bob Saget.


title: Half Baked

text: Chappelle and Breuer shared a manager and had previously planned working together on the short-lived sitcom "Buddies". In spring 1996, both were working separately on marijuana-related film projects. Chappelle and Brennan's script was complete, so Breuer was asked to join their project.


title: Half Baked

text: The movie was filmed in Toronto in the summer of 1997. "Dirty Work" was filming at the same time, and the cast and crew stayed in the same hotel. Bob Saget, who directed "Dirty Work", filmed a short, uncredited cameo for "Half Baked".


title: Half Baked

text: "Half Baked" hit theaters in the United States on January 16, 1998, earning $7,722,540 in its opening weekend, ranking at No. 6, and, by the end of its run, grossed $17,460,020.


title: Half Baked

text: "Half Baked" received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 29%, based on reviews from 24 critics. The website's consensus reads, "You'd have to be high to dig "Half Baked"s half baked production and scattershot sense of humor -- although maybe that was the point of this Dave Chapelle-led joint." On Metacritic, the film received a score of 16 out of 100 from critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".


title: Half Baked

text: Brendan Kelly of "Variety" wrote: "A couple of hash brownies short of a satisfying cinematic picnic, with far too few comic highs during the bigscreen reefer party."


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Sidney Gottlieb (August 3, 1918 – March 7, 1999) was an American chemist and spymaster who headed the Central Intelligence Agency's 1950s and 1960s assassination attempts and mind-control program, known as Project MKUltra.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Gottlieb was born to Hungarian Jewish immigrant parents Fanny and Louis Gottlieb in the Bronx on August 3, 1918. His older brother was plant biologist David Gottlieb. A stutterer since childhood, he earned a master's degree in speech therapy from San Jose State University after retiring from the CIA. He was born with a club foot, which got him rejected from military service in World War II but did not prevent his pursuit of folk dancing, a lifelong passion.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Gottlieb graduated from James Monroe High School in 1936, and enrolled in the free City College in NYC. He decided to transfer to a school that offered a legitimate agricultural biology course, and wished to attend the University of Wisconsin. In order to take the specialized courses he wished to have, he first attended Arkansas Tech University, where he studied botany, organic chemistry, and principles of dairying. His success at ATU won him admission to the University of Wisconsin, where he was mentored by Ira Baldwin, the assistant dean of the College of Agriculture. Gottlieb graduated "magna cum laude" in 1940. His accomplishments at the university, paired with a glowing recommendation from Baldwin, won him admission to the California Institute of Technology, where he received his Doctorate in Biochemistry in June 1943, writing his thesis on "Studies of Ascorbic Acid in Cowpeas."


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Gottlieb met his wife Margaret Moore, daughter of a Presbyterian missionary, while attending CIT, and they swiftly married. Denied the chance at military service, he sought out another way to serve, and began looking for government work in Washington. By 1948, his wife and two daughters were living in a remote cabin near Vienna, Virginia, that had no electricity or running water. He was living here when he began working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and his lifestyle was a stark contrast to that of the Ivy League men normally recruited at CIA.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Gottlieb's first government position was at the Department of Agriculture, where he researched the chemical structure of organic soils. He later transferred to the Food and Drug Administration, where he developed tests to measure the presences of drugs in the human body. Gottlieb grew bored of this work and sought a more challenging position. In 1948, he found a job at the National Research Council, where he described being "exposed to some interesting work concerning ergot alkaloids as vasoconstrictors and hallucinogens." He soon relocated to the University of Maryland as a research associate dedicated to studying metabolisms of fungi.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: On July 13, 1951, Gottlieb had his first day of work at the CIA. Then-Deputy Director for Plans Allen Dulles hired him on Ira Baldwin's recommendation. Baldwin had founded and run the biowarfare program at Fort Detrick years earlier, and had kept Gottlieb in his orbit throughout the years. Gottlieb, who had advanced knowledge of poisons, was making his entrance in the early years of the Cold War. In the years after World War II, American paranoia about infiltrating Communist ideology whipped the country into a nationalistic fervor to protect American cultural and political dominance from a supposed impending Soviet takeover. This also contributed to the CIA rapidly expanding its experimental methods and tactics over the next two decades, in an effort to break down and rebuild the human mind to work in its favor, falsely believing the USSR and The People's Republic of China had already mastered brainwashing and were using it against their own citizens and prisoners. This belief drove the early OSS and CIA and their forays into mind control operations and led to justifications of countless horrific acts, often with no oversight or accountability.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Project BLUEBIRD was already under way when Gottlieb was brought on board; it experimented with "Special Interrogation" techniques on captured prisoners overseas at black sites like Camp King, Fort Clayton, and Villa Schuster, using drugs to attempt to break their ego control and elicit information. But Bluebird lacked scientific knowledge and obedience; Dulles wanted Gottlieb to get it back on course. After proceeding through training, he was named chief of the newly formed Chemical Division of the Technical Services Staff (TSS). On August 20, 1951, Dulles ordered Bluebird to be expanded and centralized, and renamed the Project Artichoke, which quickly became a power base for Gottlieb. Dulles was promoted to Deputy Director of Central Intelligence days after intensifying Artichoke's scale. This assured protection and encouragement for all of Gottlieb's future mind-control projects from the highest levels of the U.S. government.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Dulles and Gottlieb both believed there was a way to influence and control the human mind that could lead to global mastery. They also wanted a "truth serum", something that had been investigated during the days of the OSS but never fully realized. Gottlieb conducted experiments using THC, cocaine, heroin, and mescaline before realizing LSD had not been properly tested or investigated by the agency. After trying LSD for the first time himself, Gottlieb accelerated LSD experiments at the agency, testing it on agents who agreed to be dosed under controlled environments and some who agreed to be dosed by surprise. LSD had been invented only a decade earlier, and few Americans knew it existed. After months of experimenting on agents and prisoners left Gottlieb unsatisfied, he sought help from the Special Operations Division at Detrick. With this agreement, the CIA acquired the knowledge and facilities of the Army to develop bioweapons suited for the CIA.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Gottlieb's first 18 months at the agency led to some frustrating discoveries. The drugs he was experimenting with were not the "truth serums" he wanted them to be, and often hindered interrogations rather than aiding them. He knew Dulles, now the Director of Central Intelligence under President Eisenhower, would approve anything he wanted to do, and this increased his ambitions. He hatched a new idea that consumed Artichoke and gave him authority over all CIA research into mind control, including the ability to test drugs on witting and unwitting Americans, which was not being done under Artichoke. Gottlieb and Richard Helms, then-Chief of Operations for Directorate of Plans, wrote a memorandum to send to Dulles.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Dulles formally approved Project MKUltra on April 13, 1953. His brother, John Foster Dulles, was tapped for Secretary of State, giving even further diplomatic cover to the project. On April 10, Dulles described the program and others like it in a speech to alumni at Princeton University, referencing the new battlefield of "brain warfare" and the battle for controlling the human mind. He disguised his program by describing it as something the Soviet Union was doing rather than something he was pioneering himself. Gottlieb selected multiple researchers, scientists, and ex-OSS members to work for him under MK-ULTRA "Subprojects." Those contracted conducted experiments on Gottlieb's behalf and reported their findings to him. He sponsored physicians such as Donald Ewen Cameron and Harris Isbell in controversial psychiatric research including nonconsensual human experiments.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Gottlieb administered LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs to unwitting subjects and financed psychiatric research and development of "techniques that would crush the human psyche to the point that it would admit anything". He was named as the person who gave Army bacteriologist Frank Olson LSD at an MK-ULTRA retreat, leading to Olson's mental spiral and death a week later.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Gottlieb was the liaison to the military subcontractor Lockheed, then working for the CIA on Project AQUATONE, later known as the U-2 spy plane. In 1953, he arranged a safe house for the Lockheed Aeronautics Services Division (LASD) with an easy and exclusive egress.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: By 1955 Project MK-ULTRA had outgrown its government funding. At this point Subproject 27 (basic research of LSD) was a funding subproject that combined previous subprojects, including payment to Sandoz Pharmaceuticals for LSD, John Mulholland's "The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception" (subproject 15 magic support, Mulholland Supplement), and further procurement of LSD (subproject 18), but it grew to almost 150 documented subprojects, including a microwave gun and the search for alternatives to LSD, which led to later programs like Project MKCHICKWIT, most of which focused on South America.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: In addition to working with subcontractors, the CIA worked with the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the Department of Defense and the Office of Naval Intelligence, though it is unclear what role Gottlieb played in these affairs other than authorization.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: In March 1960, under The Cuban Project, a CIA plan approved by President Eisenhower—and under the direction of CIA Directorate for Plans Richard M. Bissell—Gottlieb proposed spraying Fidel Castro's television studio with LSD and saturating Castro's shoes with thallium to make his beard fall out. Gottlieb also hatched schemes to assassinate Castro, including the use of a poisoned cigar, a poisoned wetsuit, an exploding conch shell, and a poisonous fountain pen. Gottlieb also played a role in the CIA's attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba of the Congo. He took a vial of poison to the Congo with plans to place it on Lumumba's toothbrush in the summer of 1960. He transported these "toxic biological materials" to Larry Devlin, the CIA station chief in the Congo, and although Devlin declined the assignment, a military coup soon overthrew and killed Lumumba.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: Gottlieb retired from the CIA in 1973, saying he did not believe his work had been effective. Visited in retirement by the son of his late colleague Frank Olson, he was residing in an "ecologically correct" home in Culpeper, Virginia, where he raised goats, ate yogurt and advocated peace and environmentalism. He and his wife spent two years traveling Australia, Africa and India before settling down for several months to run a leper hospital in India. He had two sons and two daughters.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: On October 7, 1975, Gottlieb testified before the Church Committee under the alias "Joseph Schneider." He did not reveal much in his testimony, besides saying he had destroyed nearly all records of what he did during his time at the agency. Gottlieb was never convicted of any crimes. Few historical studies mention his name.


title: Sidney Gottlieb

text: On March 7, 1999, Gottlieb died at his home in Washington, Virginia. He was reported to have a history of heart problems, but his wife declined to give the cause of death.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is a nonprofit organization of journalists and photographers who report on the entertainment industry activity and interests in the United States for media (newspaper, magazine and book publication, television and radio broadcasting) predominantly outside the U.S. The HFPA consists of about 105 members from approximately 55 countries with a combined following of more than 250 million. It conducts the annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony in Los Angeles every January, which honors notable examples of film and television and achievements in entertainment businesses.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The association was founded in 1943, by Los Angeles-based foreign journalists who wanted a more organized distributing process of cinema news to non-U.S. markets.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The first Golden Globes awardees were for the cinema industry in early 1944 with a ceremony at 20th Century Fox. There, Jennifer Jones was awarded "Best Actress' honors for "The Song of Bernadette" which also won for "Best Film', while Paul Lukas took home "Best Actor" laurels for "Watch on the Rhine". Awards were presented in the form of scrolls.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The following year members came up with the idea of presenting winners with a golden globe encircled with a strip of motion picture film and mounted on a pedestal.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: In 1950, differing philosophies among members caused a schism within the organization, resulting in a split into two separate groups: The Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association and the Foreign Press Association of Hollywood. The separation ended in 1955 when the journalists reunited under the collective title The Hollywood Foreign Press Association with firm guidelines and requirements for membership.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: In 1955, the Golden Globes began honoring achievements in television as well as in film. The first honorees in the "Best Television Show" category that year were "Dinah Shore," "Lucy & Desi," "The American Comedy" and "Davy Crockett."


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: In February 2021, the Los Angeles Times reported that none of the association's members was black. In response, in early May 2021, the HFPA announced a plan to increase membership with a "specific focus on recruiting Black members", improving governance and reducing conflicts of interest.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: Lorenzo Soria was elected President of Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 2019. Helen Hoehne was named President in September 2021.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The HFPA is a nonprofit organization that donates funds to entertainment-related charities. The Golden Globe Awards brings in about $10 million from its television broadcast each year. The HFPA hosts an annual grants banquet to distribute funds; $2.1 million was donated to nonprofits in 2015., leaving $8 million not being donated to any charities. According to the HFPA, since 1990 more than $23.9 million was donated to charity up to 2015 and used to fund scholarships and grants.This averages less than $1 million dollars per year. A recent example of income vs expenses, would be the tax year for 2019, with grants worth under $6 million being made from a total income of over $30 million.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: Funds have also been used to restore more than 90 films, including "King Kong" (1933) and "Woman on the Run" (1950).


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: , the HFPA announced its residency program in partnership with Film Independent. The program selects three winners from the Italian Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti section and three participants from Canada's Toronto International Film Festival to Los Angeles for an intensive workshop.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The 2019 residency fellows include Emir Baigazin, Mahmut F. Coskun, Georgia Fu, Maria Bozzi, Avril Z. Speaks, Rati Tsiteladze, Cynthia Kao.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The 2020 residency program winners were TIFF participants: "All These Creatures" by Australian Charles Williams, "Misterio" by Chema Garcia from Spain, and "Measure" by Canadian director Karen Chapman. This is in addition to Venice winners: "Atlantis", by Ukrainian Valentyn Vasyanovych, "Blanco en Blanco" by Spaniard Théo Court and Filipino Raymund Ribay Gutierrez.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The 2021 residency program winners were TIFF participants: "Hair: The Story of Grass", Maha Al–Saati's, Jeff Wong's "H’mong Sisters", and "Matria" by Alvaro Gago Diaz. This is in addition to the Venice winners in the Orizzonti section: Best Film - Dashte Khamoush ("The Wasteland"), by Ahmad Bahrami;  Lahi, Hayop ("Genus Pan"), Lav Diaz; Best Director, and Special Jury Prize Listen, by Ana Rocha de Sousa.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: In 2018, actor Brendan Fraser accused former HFPA president Philip Berk of groping him in 2003. The organization commissioned an internal investigation, which concluded that while "Berk inappropriately touched Mr. Fraser, the evidence supports that it was intended to be taken as a joke and not as a sexual advance.” HFPA officials asked Fraser to sign onto a joint statement about the matter but would not share the complete findings with him. After returning to acting in "The Whale" in 2022, Fraser stated unequivocally he would not attend the 2023 Golden Globe Awards ceremony due to a lack of reconciliation or apology regarding his assault accusations.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: An investigation by the "Los Angeles Times" in 2021 found that the HFPA regularly pays its 87 members in excess of US$1 million annually for serving on various committees, which may jeopardize its status as a tax-exempt non-profit organization.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The HFPA's small membership has also been described as easier to sway than the significantly larger voting bodies of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and the Television Academy; the report alleged that members had been offered access to actors and film sets, and expensive gifts (including high-priced hotel stays and restaurant bookings).


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The report also alleged that many of its members are not journalists at all, established foreign journalists who apply were regularly rejected.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: An antitrust lawsuit was filed against the HFPA by a Norwegian journalist, whose request for membership in the HFPA had been repeatedly rejected. She alleged that the group was operating as a cartel monopolizing the market of foreign entertainment journalism, that she had been rejected as to not cannibalize other Scandinavian members, and that her inability to join was impacting her ability to gain their "exclusive" access to celebrities and junkets. On November 24, 2020, a federal court threw out the lawsuit, arguing that the reporter did not define the "market" that the HFPA was allegedly monopolizing, and that the HFPA was not subject to the right of fair procedure, since engaging in an "activity of some interest to the public" was not the same as operating "in the public interest".


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: In 2021, the HFPA faced criticism for the lack of Black representation among its members; it was reported by the "Los Angeles Times" that the association had not had a new Black member since Meher Tatna, its former president, in 2002. "Variety" cited criteria requiring new members to have been sponsored by two current HFPA members as being a major roadblock towards recruiting new Black members, stating that "for a foreign journalist based in Los Angeles, building relationships with this small group, which are largely unknown to the public, is difficult due to its tight and exclusive membership policies. More transparency would help alleviate the public perception that the group doesn't seek to be inclusive."


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: Ahead of the 78th Golden Globe Awards, Time's Up launched a social media campaign to draw attention to the issue. On February 25, 2021, the HFPA stated that it was "fully committed to ensuring our membership is reflective of the communities around the world who love film, TV and the artists inspiring and educating them", and that it planned to "immediately work to implement an action plan" to "bring in Black members, as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds." The HFPA stated that over 35% of its members were from non-European countries, and does contain people of color, but it was aware that none of its current members were Black.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: On March 9, 2021, the HFPA announced that it had hired Shaun R. Harper, executive director of the USC Race and Equity Center, as its new "strategic diversity officer", and hired Ropes & Gray to "support the continued development of a confidential reporting system for investigating alleged violations of our ethical standards and code of conduct." In April 2021, former HFPA president Philip Berk was expelled after he emailed fellow members an article that described Black Lives Matter as a "racist hate movement", and slammed organizer Patrisse Cullors for purchasing a home in an upscale neighborhood.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: On May 3, 2021, the HFPA announced plans for a reform package, including a 50% increase in members over the next 18 months with a particular focus on underrepresented groups (with at least 20 new members over the next year, which will have a focus on new Black members), new professional administrative positions (including a CEO, CFO, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, and chief human resources officer), establishing an oversight board for a "critical organizational reform", and other accountability improvements (including term limits for board members and restricting internal "gifts"). The majority of the HFPA's members voted in favor of the package on May 6; due to California law, the changes to the organization's bylaws are subject to further votes by the HFPA's full membership scheduled in June and July.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: While Dick Clark Productions and NBC—the long-time producer and broadcaster of the Golden Globes respectively—supported the planned reforms, Time's Up and a group of 100 PR firms criticized the lack of given timelines for filling some of the new management positions, arguing that they would not be completed soon enough to have any material impact on the cycle of the next Golden Globes. Time's Up further argued that the package "largely contains no specifics" nor "commitments to real accountability or change".


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: On May 7, 2021, both Amazon Studios and Netflix announced that they would stop their activities with the HFPA until sufficient actions on reforms are made. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos explained that the company "[doesn't] believe these proposed new policies — particularly around the size and speed of membership growth — will tackle the HFPA's systemic diversity and inclusion challenges, or the lack of clear standards for how your members should operate".


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: On May 10, AT&T-owned WarnerMedia and its subsidiaries similarly boycotted the HFPA, stating that the proposed reforms "[don't go] far enough in addressing the breadth of our concerns, nor does your timeline capture the immediate need by which these issues should be addressed", and also criticizing "special favors and unprofessional requests [that] have been made to our teams and to others across the industry", the lack of diversity among Golden Globe nominees and winners, and the HFPA not having an "enforced code of conduct that includes zero tolerance for unwanted physical contact of all talent and staff."


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: The same day, NBC announced that it would not broadcast the 79th Golden Globe Awards ceremony in 2022, stating that "change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right", and that "we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023." In support of the boycotts, Tom Cruise returned the Golden Globes that he won for "Born on the Fourth of July", "Jerry Maguire" and "Magnolia". Following these events, the HFPA released a new timeline for its reforms, which would see the process completed by the week of August 2. On October 1, the HFPA released a list of 21 new members that it had recruited under these reforms, increasing its membership by 20 percent. The HFPA then announced on October 15 that it still planned to hold the 79th Golden Globe Awards ceremony anyway, with or without a U.S. broadcaster. The ceremony was ultimately held as a private event with only HFPA beneficiaries present, and contained a major focus on its philanthropic activities.


title: Hollywood Foreign Press Association

text: In July 2022, the HFPA approved a major restructuring, under which interim CEO Todd Boehly will establish a for-profit entity via his holding company Eldridge Industries (owner of ceremony producer Dick Clark Productions, as well as the entertainment trade publication "The Hollywood Reporter") that will hold the Golden Globe Awards' intellectual property and oversee the "professionalization and modernization" of the ceremony, including "[increasing] the size and diversity of the available voters for the annual awards". The HFPA's philanthropic activities would continue separately as a non-profit entity.


title: Evaru

text: Evaru () is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language crime thriller film directed by Venkat Ramji. The film was produced by Pearl V. Potluri, Param V. Potluri and Kavin Anne. The film starring Adivi Sesh, Regina Cassandra, Naveen Chandra and Murali Sharma. "Evaru" is loosely based on the Spanish film "The Invisible Guest" (2016) by Oriol Paulo.


title: Evaru

text: The plot follows the story of corrupt cop Vikram Vasudev as he investigates a seemingly open-and-shut case of a woman killing her rapist. The music is composed by Sricharan Pakala and editing by Garry BH. The film was released on 15 August 2019.


title: Evaru

text: Sameera Maha (Regina Cassandra), a rising businesswoman, fatally shoots and kills DSP Ashok Krishna (Naveen Chandra), who allegedly raped her. The case is filed as an act of self-defense but the police and Ashok’s family hire Ratnakar, a prestigious criminal lawyer, for prosecution. Sameera's lawyer, Banerjee (Vinay Varma), then contacts corrupt Sub-Inspector Vikram Vasudev (Adivi Sesh), who is based in Coonoor. He takes a bribe from Sameera to make sure Ratnakar does not uncover any incriminating evidence.


title: Evaru

text: Vikram meets Sameera in a hotel room and presses her to fully disclose the details of the situation so that he knows where they stand in their defense. Sameera continually proclaims that Ashok forced himself on her until Vikram shows her proof that her husband, famed CEO Rahul Maha (Syed Irfan Ahmed), is homosexual and she went to college with Ashok. Sameera then reveals she is only a beard to Rahul, which allows him to keep up the appearance of a married heterosexual man while indulging in his true sexual interests in private. Sameera also confesses that she and Ashok dated in college but parted ways when his parents did not approve of her then middle-class status. 2 years prior, they met by chance and restarted their relationship.


title: Evaru

text: Vikram tells Sameera about a missing persons case he is working on: 1 year ago, a teenage cancer patient, Adarsh Varma (Nihal Kodhaty), filed a missing complaint for his father, Vinay (Murali Sharma). Vikram initially made the case priority when Adarsh bribed him but grew committed to helping the Varma family despite later pressure from his superiors to drop the case. Vikram discovered that Vinay was frequently receiving calls from a police station in Panjagutta and his car was left damaged outside a building of the resort he owns. Adarsh and his mother also gave a lift to a girl named Vaishnavi the night of Vinay's disappearance. Vikram followed the last photo Vinay took to a hairpin turn on a road in Coonoor, where he found a sideview mirror broken off from a black car. The car was traced back to a rental agency in Hyderabad, having been rented in the name of Vaishnavi Krishna by her husband, Ashok, who is based in the Panjagutta Police Station. Later, Vikram learned that Adarsh had snuck into an event in Hyderabad Ashok was working at to confront him. Ashok unintentionally confirmed that he knew Vinay and prepared to shoot Adarsh, but Vikram saved him. As they were leaving the event, Adarsh spotted the honored guest, "Vaishnavi", who is actually Sameera.


title: Evaru

text: Sameera tries to deny this, but Vikram reveals her old cellphone was found with Vinay's blood, linking her and Ashok to the case. Sameera reveals that she and Ashok were driving to Coonoor for a rendezvous when she accidentally crashed into Vinay around the hairpin turn. A drunken Ashok accosted Vinay until Sameera intervened. They arrived at a resort building Ashok was planning to buy and again met Vinay, the resort owner. However, based on their previous encounter, he refused to sell it. Sameera tried to reason with him, but Vinay revealed he is a family friend of Rahul and knows she is his fiancée. He advises Sameera to end her affair with Ashok. Suddenly, a furious Ashok punched Vinay, causing him to stumble over the fencing on the overlook and fall into the forest a hundred feet below.


title: Evaru

text: Vinay was barely alive when they rushed down so Ashok prevented Sameera from calling an ambulance and killed him. As he got rid of the body, Sameera ran out of the forest and hitchhiked with a woman and her cancer-ridden son, whose face was covered. She soon realized they were Vinay's family after discovering she had picked up his phone instead of hers. Upon arriving at their house, Sameera left the phone in the car and fled. She called Ashok from a payphone and he picked her up, after which they left Coonoor. 1 year later, Sameera and Ashok were blackmailed by an anonymous person to bring two crores to Vinay's resort. In the room, the couple decided instead to confess to Vinay's family together. They started to have sex when Ashok attempted to kill Sameera to save himself, but she fought back and killed him.


title: Evaru

text: Vikram does not believe her, pointing out several inconsistencies in the story, and theorizes that Sameera actually killed Vinay since she had more to gain from the murder. Vikram reveals he was the blackmailer and knows that Ashok was planning on confessing beforehand; Ashok had called Vikram (as the blackmailer) before going into the resort, and kept him on the phone in his back pocket. Sameera killed Ashok when he told her his intentions and then staged the scene to make it look like he raped her.