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New Friday OTT releases (October 23, 2026): Gajab Raat, Dorothy, Chaar Yaar- Watch these 6 new movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more

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For the third time in a row, China is welcoming the lunar new year in a very muted fashion. This is the year of the Tiger and people in China are hoping that the new year will bring an end to the pandemic.

Chinese people welcome new year in muted fashion

With his hot pink hair extensions and leopard print pantsuit, model Ziad al-Mesfer was bound to turn heads during his recent public photo shoot in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia.

Male model challenges gender norms in Saudi Arabia

The weekend is almost here so what are your plans? Some of us are looking forward to quality time with family and friends, and others are pending down leftover tasks. Well, some may be planning a road trip but be honest how many of you are hoping to catch up on some sleep?

The Good Life: What happens when you don't sleep well?

The Fashion industry is trying to make the shift to sustainable clothing. Watch this report to know why fast fashion needs to slow down.

The Good Life: Fashion industry is trying to make the shift to sustainable clothing

Sacred places around the world have some set of rigid decrees for tourists to follow. For example, no photography policy or a particular dress code, or one that prohibits travellers from taking sand from a beach.

Sacred places around the world have some set of rigid decrees for tourists to follow. For example, no photography policy or a particular dress code, or one that prohibits travellers from taking sand from a beach. 'Game of Thrones' actor Jason Momoa was recently in serious trouble for breaking one such rule at Italy's Sistine Chapel. The actor was on a visit to the Vatican City last week where he flouted the Chapel's rules by clicking pictures inside it. Momoa has now offered a video apology on Instagram, with a caption that says, “Just want to send my absolute admiration for the Italians and this beautiful country. Want to send apologise for any disrespect. I love your culture and history.” Watch the apology video here:- View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies) × The 'Aquaman' actor had earlier shared a series of pictures that showed him posing from inside the Vatican's famous chapel. The actor was shooting for his upcoming action franchise film 'Fast & Furious' titled 'Fast X'. Also Read: Jason Momoa joins Vin Diesel in 'Fast and Furious 10' Using cameras and phones is prohibited inside the chapel. “If you ever felt that I disrespected your culture, that wasn’t my intention," the actor went on to add in the video apology in which he's shirtless and could be seen lifting weights. Adding that people wanting to click pictures with him compelled him to oblige their wish, otherwise, he had no intention to disrespect. Check out Jason Momoa's chapel pictures:- View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies) × View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies) × Rules at the Sistine Chapel Tourists flock to the Sistine Chapel to see the famous frescoes by Michelangelo that are drawn on the ceiling and onto the wall behind the altar. The illustrations are endless and have no beginning or end. Called 'Sistine Ceiling', Pope Julius II authorised the frescoes in 1508. Michelangelo began painting the ceiling in 1508 and finished it in 1512. Also Read: I'm Aquaman: Jason Momoa on if he showers daily The events painted on the ceiling depict events from the Old Testament while the frescoes made on the wall behind the altar depict the Last Judgment, painted by the Italian sculptor and painter under the directives of Pope Paul III from 1534 to 1541. Visitors are instructed not to click photos once they enter the chapel while the appointed staff have the authority to delete any such photographs or video recordings being taken. The chapel visitors are also advised to wear modest clothes and behave responsibly. Short pants or skirts, sleeveless clothes and shoulder exposure are forbidden.

Jason Mamoa apologises for flouting rules at Vatican's Sistine Chapel, read what the rules say

Queen Elizabeth attended the final night of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations at the Windsor Castle auditorium that marked her 70-years of reign in Britain. She was greeted with a standing ovation at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. The star-studded celebration that commenced on Thursday was attended by celebrities like Tom Cruise, Helen Mirren and Katherine Jenkins.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The crowd cheered for the smiling Queen who was accompanied by her son, the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, as she walked to take her seat at the Royal Box. Before her entry into the castle arena, a tri-service guard of honour that consisted of the Coldstream Guards, RAF Regiment and Royal Navy were already in position, signalled to honour the Queen by the national anthem, played by the military musicians.&nbsp;

The Queen wore an ice-blue sequinned dress and draped a grey embellished shawl around her shoulder to guard against the chill.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/queen-elizabeth-ii-turns-96-how-queens-birthday-is-marked-and-why-does-she-have-two-birthdays-472674#queen-turns-96-472657">Queen Elizabeth II turns 96! How Queen's birthday is marked and why does she have two birthdays?</a>

The Queen had recently cancelled several public events owing to bad health. The Queen was spotted on Friday's show, where one of the Queen’s horses emerged as a supreme champion.&nbsp;

For the first time since 1963, she had skipped the annual reading of the Queen’s Speech that was held on Tuesday.

Popular Hollywood face Tom Cruise, who is known for films like 'Mission Impossible' and 'Top Gun',&nbsp;while speaking to the media said he admires the Queen ‘greatly.’ "It is a real honour and privilege to be present at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Windsor," said the Hollywood action star.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/queen-elizabeth-relies-on-homeopathic-remedies-during-coronavirus-outbreak-report-289929">Queen Elizabeth relies on homeopathic remedies during coronavirus outbreak: Report</a>

In a statement, he further added, "What she has accomplished is historic. She has met presidents, world leaders, people from all walks of life. Not just Americans, but the world knows the dignity, devotion and kindness, that is what I have always felt about her. Someone that understands her position and has held it through a history that's just been extraordinary the past 70 years."

The production, titled ‘A Gallop Through History’, &nbsp;took the audience through more than five centuries of history and featured more than 500 horses and 1000 performers. The show has been dubbed as a personal tribute to the British monarchy that featured international and national military, equestrian and dance displays. The performance of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery was praised by Cruise as "one of the most enthralling, thrilling, heart-in-mouth displays".

The Queen reportedly enjoyed The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force's steel drum troupe performing a rhythmic version of Abba's Dancing Queen. The other highlights of the show included the Royal Cavalry of Oman filling the arena in their display of horsemanship and the precision marching and rifle-handling skills of the King’s Guard of Norway.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/queen-elizabeth-ii-attends-first-public-engagement-in-months-466641">Queen Elizabeth II attends first public engagement in months</a>

Queen Elizabeth attended the final night of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations at the Windsor Castle auditorium that marked her 70-years of reign in Britain. She was greeted with a standing ovation at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Queen Elizabeth attended the final night of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations at the Windsor Castle auditorium that marked her 70-years of reign in Britain. She was greeted with a standing ovation at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. The star-studded celebration that commenced on Thursday was attended by celebrities like Tom Cruise, Helen Mirren and Katherine Jenkins. The crowd cheered for the smiling Queen who was accompanied by her son, the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, as she walked to take her seat at the Royal Box. Before her entry into the castle arena, a tri-service guard of honour that consisted of the Coldstream Guards, RAF Regiment and Royal Navy were already in position, signalled to honour the Queen by the national anthem, played by the military musicians. The Queen wore an ice-blue sequinned dress and draped a grey embellished shawl around her shoulder to guard against the chill. Also Read: Queen Elizabeth II turns 96! How Queen's birthday is marked and why does she have two birthdays? The Queen had recently cancelled several public events owing to bad health. The Queen was spotted on Friday's show, where one of the Queen’s horses emerged as a supreme champion. For the first time since 1963, she had skipped the annual reading of the Queen’s Speech that was held on Tuesday. Popular Hollywood face Tom Cruise, who is known for films like 'Mission Impossible' and 'Top Gun', while speaking to the media said he admires the Queen ‘greatly.’ "It is a real honour and privilege to be present at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Windsor," said the Hollywood action star. Also Read: Queen Elizabeth relies on homeopathic remedies during coronavirus outbreak: Report In a statement, he further added, "What she has accomplished is historic. She has met presidents, world leaders, people from all walks of life. Not just Americans, but the world knows the dignity, devotion and kindness, that is what I have always felt about her. Someone that understands her position and has held it through a history that's just been extraordinary the past 70 years." The production, titled ‘A Gallop Through History’, took the audience through more than five centuries of history and featured more than 500 horses and 1000 performers. The show has been dubbed as a personal tribute to the British monarchy that featured international and national military, equestrian and dance displays. The performance of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery was praised by Cruise as "one of the most enthralling, thrilling, heart-in-mouth displays". The Queen reportedly enjoyed The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force's steel drum troupe performing a rhythmic version of Abba's Dancing Queen. The other highlights of the show included the Royal Cavalry of Oman filling the arena in their display of horsemanship and the precision marching and rifle-handling skills of the King’s Guard of Norway. Also Read: Queen Elizabeth II attends first public engagement in months

Queen Elizabeth II makes her first appearance during a Platinum Jubilee celebration

The word metaverse, a combination of the prefix ''meta'' meaning beyond, and ''stem'' meaning the universe is used to describe a virtual space within a digital environment.

The term was coined by science fiction writer Neal Stephenson in the novel ''Snow Crash'' which he wrote in 1992.

Luxury fashion brands such as LVMH and Hermes are considering to cash in on the popularity of metaverse with cryptocurrency&nbsp;emerging as the favoured mode of payment for it.

LVMH's head Bernard Arnault said his business is eyeing to expand into the digital metaverse.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/the-good-life-gucci-to-accept-payments-in-cryptocurrency-476961/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Meanwhile, Axel Dumas, executive chairman of Hermes has said the company is considering to use metaverse for communications.

Italian luxury brand Gucci has jumped on the bandwagon of cryptocurrency with its stores in Los Angeles and New York accepting Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin.

A Metaverse Fashion Week was held on Decentraland from March 24-27 in which over 70 fashion brands and designers participated.

These included big names in the fashion industry such as Dolce &amp; Gabbana, DKNY, and Tommy Hilfiger among others.

The three-dimensional event along with the Meta Gala and Crypto Fashion is just the beginning of the arrival of fashion into the crypto space.

These fashion shows provide wider exposure to brands and help them communicate with their target audience. They feature outfits with realistic ones and take payments on Boson Protocol direct platform.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/what-is-metaverse-the-new-buzzword-in-internet-technology-412364">Also read |&nbsp;What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology?</a>

Earlier this year, Benoit Pagotto's design studio RTFKT worked with teenage digital artists, FEWOCiOus, to sell 620 pairs of virtual sneakers generating a total of $3.1 million in less than five minutes.

Entrepreneurs in the space say that virtual fashion will become ubiquitous. They believe that with time the understanding of physical and digital worlds will change our definition of what's real.

If it sounds like science fiction to you then you are on the right track. The de-materialisation of fashion is here and it is going to change the fashion business as we know it.

What we wear says a lot about who&nbsp;we are, making fashion a $2.5 trillion global industry that touches everyone on Earth. It has been transformed immensely by technology, globalisation, and shifting consumer values.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-dior-kicks-off-paris-fashion-week-with-survival-thrust-457986">Also read |&nbsp;Dior kicks off Paris Fashion Week with survival thrust</a>

Fashion is recalibrating in&nbsp;the wake of the coronavirus pandemic to balance profit with purpose. As the world stayed home during the pandemic,&nbsp;metaverse was a place people could go to get dressed up.

The business opportunities in this fast-evolving convergence of digital and physical worlds are real.

The metaverse has grown out of gaming where players already spend over 100 billion dollars a year on virtual goods.

3 billion people, more than a third of the world's population, regularly play video games. 46 percent of gamers are women and across generations, people prefer video games over movies and TV shows, making the gaming world's leading form of entertainment.

Dressing avatars have come a long way from battleground beginnings with gaming emerging as a lucrative channel for luxury brands to reach new customers, screen wear is the new streetwear.

Watch WION's live TV here:

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

The word metaverse, a combination of the prefix ''meta'' meaning beyond, and ''stem'' meaning the universe is used to describe a virtual space within a digital environment.

The word metaverse, a combination of the prefix ''meta'' meaning beyond, and ''stem'' meaning the universe is used to describe a virtual space within a digital environment. The term was coined by science fiction writer Neal Stephenson in the novel ''Snow Crash'' which he wrote in 1992. Luxury fashion brands such as LVMH and Hermes are considering to cash in on the popularity of metaverse with cryptocurrency emerging as the favoured mode of payment for it. LVMH's head Bernard Arnault said his business is eyeing to expand into the digital metaverse. Meanwhile, Axel Dumas, executive chairman of Hermes has said the company is considering to use metaverse for communications. Italian luxury brand Gucci has jumped on the bandwagon of cryptocurrency with its stores in Los Angeles and New York accepting Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. A Metaverse Fashion Week was held on Decentraland from March 24-27 in which over 70 fashion brands and designers participated. These included big names in the fashion industry such as Dolce & Gabbana, DKNY, and Tommy Hilfiger among others. The three-dimensional event along with the Meta Gala and Crypto Fashion is just the beginning of the arrival of fashion into the crypto space. These fashion shows provide wider exposure to brands and help them communicate with their target audience. They feature outfits with realistic ones and take payments on Boson Protocol direct platform. Also read | What is metaverse, the new buzzword in internet technology? Earlier this year, Benoit Pagotto's design studio RTFKT worked with teenage digital artists, FEWOCiOus, to sell 620 pairs of virtual sneakers generating a total of $3.1 million in less than five minutes. Entrepreneurs in the space say that virtual fashion will become ubiquitous. They believe that with time the understanding of physical and digital worlds will change our definition of what's real. If it sounds like science fiction to you then you are on the right track. The de-materialisation of fashion is here and it is going to change the fashion business as we know it. What we wear says a lot about who we are, making fashion a $2.5 trillion global industry that touches everyone on Earth. It has been transformed immensely by technology, globalisation, and shifting consumer values. Also read | Dior kicks off Paris Fashion Week with survival thrust Fashion is recalibrating in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic to balance profit with purpose. As the world stayed home during the pandemic, metaverse was a place people could go to get dressed up. The business opportunities in this fast-evolving convergence of digital and physical worlds are real. The metaverse has grown out of gaming where players already spend over 100 billion dollars a year on virtual goods. 3 billion people, more than a third of the world's population, regularly play video games. 46 percent of gamers are women and across generations, people prefer video games over movies and TV shows, making the gaming world's leading form of entertainment. Dressing avatars have come a long way from battleground beginnings with gaming emerging as a lucrative channel for luxury brands to reach new customers, screen wear is the new streetwear. Watch WION's live TV here:

How can metaverse help fashion brands?

Gianni Versace's former townhouse in Manhattan is up for sale. The seven-bedroom mansion was bought by the late fashion designer in 1995 and is now reportedly priced at $70 million. 
 
Versace had fully refurbished the interior, according to the Sotheby's International Realty listing. 
 
The mansion was originally built in 1950 and offers the buyer the chance to "live like royalty" and "own a piece of real estate and fashion history," the listing says. 
 
In total the townhouse had 17 lavishly decorated rooms spread across six floors, the property overlooks Fifth Avenue and borders Central Park. 
 
The floors are Italian marble and Austrian parquet. There are five fireplaces, painted walls and ceilings and mosaic. Every floor of the mansion is decorated with a different, distinct theme.&nbsp; 
 
"Versace's genius and vision are revealed over the first 4 floors, each presenting the designer's legendary taste and permeates the home," the listing adds. 
 
The entrance opens to a marble staircase and gallery with a decorative Greek key pattern border, and the garden level has hand-painted canvas walls inspired by an English neoclassical manor. 
 
The third-floor ceiling resembles the vault of the Sistine Chapel, alongside restored 19th-century panels Versace sourced from a Florentine palazzo. 
 
The fourth floor of the mansion offers a double bathroom spa that the listing describes as "one of the grandest in the city," and the fifth and sixth floors house bedrooms and a Moroccan-style media room. 
 
One of the most influential figures in fashion in the 20th century, Gianni Versace was shot dead on the steps of his Miami Beach Villa in 1997. Following his death, his sister Donatella Versace lead the brand's creative vision which now under US company Capri Holdings which bought the brand in 2018. &nbsp;

Gianni Versace's former townhouse in Manhattan is up for sale. The seven-bedroom mansion was bought by the late fashion designer in 1995 and is now reportedly priced at $70 million.

Gianni Versace's former townhouse in Manhattan is up for sale. The seven-bedroom mansion was bought by the late fashion designer in 1995 and is now reportedly priced at $70 million. Versace had fully refurbished the interior, according to the Sotheby's International Realty listing. The mansion was originally built in 1950 and offers the buyer the chance to "live like royalty" and "own a piece of real estate and fashion history," the listing says. In total the townhouse had 17 lavishly decorated rooms spread across six floors, the property overlooks Fifth Avenue and borders Central Park. The floors are Italian marble and Austrian parquet. There are five fireplaces, painted walls and ceilings and mosaic. Every floor of the mansion is decorated with a different, distinct theme. "Versace's genius and vision are revealed over the first 4 floors, each presenting the designer's legendary taste and permeates the home," the listing adds. The entrance opens to a marble staircase and gallery with a decorative Greek key pattern border, and the garden level has hand-painted canvas walls inspired by an English neoclassical manor. The third-floor ceiling resembles the vault of the Sistine Chapel, alongside restored 19th-century panels Versace sourced from a Florentine palazzo. The fourth floor of the mansion offers a double bathroom spa that the listing describes as "one of the grandest in the city," and the fifth and sixth floors house bedrooms and a Moroccan-style media room. One of the most influential figures in fashion in the 20th century, Gianni Versace was shot dead on the steps of his Miami Beach Villa in 1997. Following his death, his sister Donatella Versace lead the brand's creative vision which now under US company Capri Holdings which bought the brand in 2018.

Versace's Manhattan townhouse goes up for sale for $70 million

What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Do you soak in the quiet mornings? A glass of lemon water? 
For me my friends - it's a tall, cold drink of Instagram posts. After all, I need to catch up! I need to see that 10th pet post, don't I? I need to see the recycled memes and I need to see the ‘much-needed vacation’ posts. I need to, you know? Only I don't. Now that got me thinking. What is this information dump doing to us? Is this sensory overload impacting our functioning? It is.

Sensory overload 
Let me begin with a clarification. Sensory overload,&nbsp;is when one or more of our senses receive more input than they can process. And even though - anyone can experience it, it is more common and severe in those with other sensory processing disorders. So, not a term to be thrown around lightly. (Remember when OCD was casually used as a synonym for ‘oh! I am soooo organised’ ?) 
That being said, we all at some point can experience it and probably have. One of the most common forms that we do experience it in is - information overload. And also, the focus of this read. One sense at a time, people. Bear with me as I try not to overwhelm you with a read that focuses on how overwhelming information consumption can be. &nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/when-life-gives-you-lemons-you-are-officially-rich-471220/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Maybe it started sometime after the invention of printing or sometime during the cognitive revolution. But definitely, there was a time when our collective zeitgeist was altered. It only got more saturated as time progressed. With this renewed focus on quick information sources. Apps that can give you the summary for an entire book in under 60 seconds. 10-second vignettes for entertainment. Apps to read you your affirmations in the morning while you get ready in the morning for work - stuffing the breakfast sandwich with one hand, stuffing your work bag with the other all while catching up with the headlines. But what did we truly retain in this ordeal? Anxiety, irritability, light and sound sensitivity, a spike in excitement levels - feeling all around overwhelmed - this may just be your mind trying to tell you to hit pause. It’s not an uncommon phenomenon. It’s not new. But it is often disregarded.

Cognitive fallout 
How much can the mind retain? How does the brain filter out the noise? You probably didn't need a study on the numbing effects of social media, information overload on our brain, and the fatigue it brings with it - but there is - plenty of them! ( talk about information dump). Isn't opening a social media app analogous to opening floodgates? An excessive amount of social media activity exhausts the brain causing it to slow down. That would explain why you went from your bedroom to the car and somehow miraculously drove yourself all the way to work but yet cannot recall all the steps. Are we at our very core just machines with a consciousness? Is this the matrix?

In stark contrast to what hustle culture propagates - multitasking and a gung-ho approach to life is too heavy a foot on the productivity pedal and accelerates cortisol, stress, and adrenaline levels. You can only imagine what coming down from such a high would feel like. It's a crash. Accompanied with brain fog and scrambled thoughts. Not one that can ever be good in the long run. Perhaps it's time to revisit the rabbit and turtle fable. Slow and steady, all the way.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-social-media-is-not-real-writes-supermodel-bella-hadid-alongside-crying-selfies-428179">Also read |&nbsp;'Social media is not real,' writes supermodel Bella Hadid alongside crying selfies</a>

Privilege and the choice to disconnect 
And here is where I thought I had cracked the code - a digital detox! Only I hadn't. To no one’s surprise. 
How practical is it to disconnect? Can we afford to? Do we not as a people - who have been granted the choice and the resources - have a responsibility to not be insufferable, ignorant, and oblivious? We do. 
Also, how do we tackle the FoMo that comes with it? Glad you asked! 
Turns out that there is something known as the FoMo scale. Studies have found nil to moderate effects of digital detox on the reduction of FOMO scores. 
A 2019 study by the University of Otago, New Zealand found that people with mild-to-moderate anxiety and depression symptoms were able to improve their sleep quality significantly. The same study also recorded an improvement in overall mental well-being after a 7-day digital detox. Wait! So, you can unplug and .... be .. just fine? 
Now of course a 7-day digital detox may not be a practical choice for most of us. On that my fellow girls, guys, and non-binaries, I'd like to say do what you have to. But do it intentionally. Take in information. But mindfully. A digital detox can help rewire your brain to focus on what is important. On a single task. A digital detox has a lot of definitions. Whatever you choose to go with, it is not an ambassadorial event. It's just a period of abstinence from ubiquitous electronic devices and social media, special features, the barrage of articles, branded content, and instant messaging. The list is long. Unless you have hundreds of dollars to shell out for a dip in sensory deprivation tanks - it will have to start with a life audit. See how much time you’re spending on each of these. Identity what invokes the most stress and worry. Start with a half an hour break a day.

And as is the case with everything else in life - soon you will figure out what works for you.

Balance is key. And tuning out - is okay!

What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Do you soak in the quiet mornings? A glass of lemon water? For me my friends - it's a tall, cold drink of Instagram posts.

What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Do you soak in the quiet mornings? A glass of lemon water? For me my friends - it's a tall, cold drink of Instagram posts. After all, I need to catch up! I need to see that 10th pet post, don't I? I need to see the recycled memes and I need to see the ‘much-needed vacation’ posts. I need to, you know? Only I don't. Now that got me thinking. What is this information dump doing to us? Is this sensory overload impacting our functioning? It is. Sensory overload Let me begin with a clarification. Sensory overload, is when one or more of our senses receive more input than they can process. And even though - anyone can experience it, it is more common and severe in those with other sensory processing disorders. So, not a term to be thrown around lightly. (Remember when OCD was casually used as a synonym for ‘oh! I am soooo organised’ ?) That being said, we all at some point can experience it and probably have. One of the most common forms that we do experience it in is - information overload. And also, the focus of this read. One sense at a time, people. Bear with me as I try not to overwhelm you with a read that focuses on how overwhelming information consumption can be. Maybe it started sometime after the invention of printing or sometime during the cognitive revolution. But definitely, there was a time when our collective zeitgeist was altered. It only got more saturated as time progressed. With this renewed focus on quick information sources. Apps that can give you the summary for an entire book in under 60 seconds. 10-second vignettes for entertainment. Apps to read you your affirmations in the morning while you get ready in the morning for work - stuffing the breakfast sandwich with one hand, stuffing your work bag with the other all while catching up with the headlines. But what did we truly retain in this ordeal? Anxiety, irritability, light and sound sensitivity, a spike in excitement levels - feeling all around overwhelmed - this may just be your mind trying to tell you to hit pause. It’s not an uncommon phenomenon. It’s not new. But it is often disregarded. Cognitive fallout How much can the mind retain? How does the brain filter out the noise? You probably didn't need a study on the numbing effects of social media, information overload on our brain, and the fatigue it brings with it - but there is - plenty of them! ( talk about information dump). Isn't opening a social media app analogous to opening floodgates? An excessive amount of social media activity exhausts the brain causing it to slow down. That would explain why you went from your bedroom to the car and somehow miraculously drove yourself all the way to work but yet cannot recall all the steps. Are we at our very core just machines with a consciousness? Is this the matrix? In stark contrast to what hustle culture propagates - multitasking and a gung-ho approach to life is too heavy a foot on the productivity pedal and accelerates cortisol, stress, and adrenaline levels. You can only imagine what coming down from such a high would feel like. It's a crash. Accompanied with brain fog and scrambled thoughts. Not one that can ever be good in the long run. Perhaps it's time to revisit the rabbit and turtle fable. Slow and steady, all the way. Also read | 'Social media is not real,' writes supermodel Bella Hadid alongside crying selfies Privilege and the choice to disconnect And here is where I thought I had cracked the code - a digital detox! Only I hadn't. To no one’s surprise. How practical is it to disconnect? Can we afford to? Do we not as a people - who have been granted the choice and the resources - have a responsibility to not be insufferable, ignorant, and oblivious? We do. Also, how do we tackle the FoMo that comes with it? Glad you asked! Turns out that there is something known as the FoMo scale. Studies have found nil to moderate effects of digital detox on the reduction of FOMO scores. A 2019 study by the University of Otago, New Zealand found that people with mild-to-moderate anxiety and depression symptoms were able to improve their sleep quality significantly. The same study also recorded an improvement in overall mental well-being after a 7-day digital detox. Wait! So, you can unplug and .... be .. just fine? Now of course a 7-day digital detox may not be a practical choice for most of us. On that my fellow girls, guys, and non-binaries, I'd like to say do what you have to. But do it intentionally. Take in information. But mindfully. A digital detox can help rewire your brain to focus on what is important. On a single task. A digital detox has a lot of definitions. Whatever you choose to go with, it is not an ambassadorial event. It's just a period of abstinence from ubiquitous electronic devices and social media, special features, the barrage of articles, branded content, and instant messaging. The list is long. Unless you have hundreds of dollars to shell out for a dip in sensory deprivation tanks - it will have to start with a life audit. See how much time you’re spending on each of these. Identity what invokes the most stress and worry. Start with a half an hour break a day. And as is the case with everything else in life - soon you will figure out what works for you. Balance is key. And tuning out - is okay!

Drowning out the noise. The curious case of information overload.

Queen Elizabeth II turns 96! How Queen's birthday is marked and why does she have two birthdays?

A study conducted by the &nbsp;University of Toronto has stated that adults exposed to chronic parental domestic violence have more chances of suffering from anxiety, depression and substance abuse disorder 
.&nbsp; 
These adults also have a lower level of social support than their peers who do not experience such adversity in childhood.&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;The findings of the study were published in the 'Journal of Family Violence'.The study found that one-fifth (22.5 per cent) of adults who were exposed to chronic parental domestic violence during childhood developed a major depressive disorder at some point in their life.&nbsp; 
 
This was much higher than the 9.1 per cent of those without a history of parental domestic violence. 
 
"Our findings underline the risk of long-term negative outcomes of chronic domestic violence for children, even when the children themselves are not abused," said author Esme Fuller-Thomson, Director of University of Toronto`s Institute for Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto and Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW). 
 
"Social workers and health professionals must work vigilantly to prevent domestic violence and to support both survivors of this abuse and their children," added Fuller-Thomson. 
 
The study says Parental domestic violence (PDV) often occurs in the context of other adversities, including childhood physical and sexual abuse, making it challenging to examine the mental health outcomes associated solely with parental domestic violence in the absence of childhood abuse. 
 
To address this problem, the authors excluded anyone in their study who had experienced childhood physical or sexual abuse. 
 
The study's nationally representative sample ultimately included 17,739 respondents from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health, of whom 326 reported having witnessed PDV more than 10 times before age 16, which was defined as `chronic PDV`. 
 
One in six adults (15.2 per cent) who had experienced chronic PDV reported that they later developed an anxiety disorder.&nbsp; 
 
Only 7.1 per cent of those who had not been exposed to parental violence also reported experiencing an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. 
 
"Many children who are exposed to their parent`s domestic violence remain constantly vigilant and perpetually anxious, fearful that any conflict may escalate into assault. Therefore, it is not surprising that decades later, when they are adults, those with a history of PDV have an elevated prevalence of anxiety disorders," said co-author Deirdre Ryan-Morissette. 
 
More than one-quarter of adults (26.8 per cent) who were exposed to chronic PDV in childhood developed substance use disorders, compared to 19.2 per cent of those without exposure to this early adversity.&nbsp; 
 
The findings were not all negative, though. More than three in five adult survivors of chronic PDV were in excellent mental health, free from any mental illness, substance dependence or suicidal thoughts in the preceding year; we were happy and/or satisfied with their life and reported high levels of social and psychological well-being, despite their exposure to such harrowing experiences in childhood.

(With agency inputs) 
&nbsp;

A study conducted by the University of Toronto has stated that adults exposed to chronic parental domestic violence have more chances of suffering from anxiety, depression and substance abuse disorder .

A study conducted by the University of Toronto has stated that adults exposed to chronic parental domestic violence have more chances of suffering from anxiety, depression and substance abuse disorder . These adults also have a lower level of social support than their peers who do not experience such adversity in childhood. The findings of the study were published in the 'Journal of Family Violence'.The study found that one-fifth (22.5 per cent) of adults who were exposed to chronic parental domestic violence during childhood developed a major depressive disorder at some point in their life. This was much higher than the 9.1 per cent of those without a history of parental domestic violence. "Our findings underline the risk of long-term negative outcomes of chronic domestic violence for children, even when the children themselves are not abused," said author Esme Fuller-Thomson, Director of University of Toronto`s Institute for Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto and Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW). "Social workers and health professionals must work vigilantly to prevent domestic violence and to support both survivors of this abuse and their children," added Fuller-Thomson. The study says Parental domestic violence (PDV) often occurs in the context of other adversities, including childhood physical and sexual abuse, making it challenging to examine the mental health outcomes associated solely with parental domestic violence in the absence of childhood abuse. To address this problem, the authors excluded anyone in their study who had experienced childhood physical or sexual abuse. The study's nationally representative sample ultimately included 17,739 respondents from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health, of whom 326 reported having witnessed PDV more than 10 times before age 16, which was defined as `chronic PDV`. One in six adults (15.2 per cent) who had experienced chronic PDV reported that they later developed an anxiety disorder. Only 7.1 per cent of those who had not been exposed to parental violence also reported experiencing an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. "Many children who are exposed to their parent`s domestic violence remain constantly vigilant and perpetually anxious, fearful that any conflict may escalate into assault. Therefore, it is not surprising that decades later, when they are adults, those with a history of PDV have an elevated prevalence of anxiety disorders," said co-author Deirdre Ryan-Morissette. More than one-quarter of adults (26.8 per cent) who were exposed to chronic PDV in childhood developed substance use disorders, compared to 19.2 per cent of those without exposure to this early adversity. The findings were not all negative, though. More than three in five adult survivors of chronic PDV were in excellent mental health, free from any mental illness, substance dependence or suicidal thoughts in the preceding year; we were happy and/or satisfied with their life and reported high levels of social and psychological well-being, despite their exposure to such harrowing experiences in childhood. (With agency inputs)

New study finds parental domestic violence in childhood linked to mental illness in adulthood

In May 2020, Omar Ruiz found himself with a broken heart. “My wife told me she was no longer in love with me,” and shortly thereafter, the couple, who had been married 11 years, separated.

Not only was he crushed, he said, but as a marriage and family therapist, “this entire process challenged my professional identity,” said Ruiz, who is 36 and lives in Boston. “How could I help couples when my own marriage is falling apart?”

And so he determined that he needed to fall out of love.

“People say heartbreak is normal, so we shouldn’t try to fix it,” said Sandra Langeslag, an associate professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who has studied the effects of breakups on the brain. But she points out that there are plenty of common, and even serious, diseases that we try to cure, so “why shouldn’t we try to help people with heartbreak and try to move on?”

Heartbreak has inspired music, poetry, visual art, ice-cream-filled listening sessions with friends and even a new hotel. And regardless of the reason — whether death, cognitive impairment, divorce or otherwise — most who experience it hope to recover and maybe even fall in love again with someone new.

But what if we actually had some control over the process? Can one deliberately fall out of love? Some of the science says yes.

“You can work on it,” said Helen E. Fisher, a biological anthropologist and senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute in New York. She studies the anatomy of love, and in 2005 studied the brain imaging of 100 people using MRIs to pinpoint the circuitry of romantic love.

Fisher said she discovered that the same area of the brain associated with hunger and thirst — what is known as the ventral tegmental area, or VTA — becomes activated when you’re in love, making it “a drive, not an emotion.” This biological function makes falling out of love about as hard as trying not to feel thirsty. In other words, it’s not easy.

Kisha Mays, 40, who runs a business consultancy in Houston, continued to love her former boyfriend even while he was in prison. They were on and off for years, she said, and got back together for two years before he was released in October 2021. Then two months later, she said, he broke up with her.

“Now it is just healing, rebuilding and learning to trust again,” Mays said, noting that reiki and spiritual healing — along with throwing out all of his belongings — have helped.

Fisher would agree with Mays’ technique: She suggests treating the recovery process as you would an addiction, and throw out the cards, letters and keepsakes that remind you of the person. Don’t maintain contact or ask mutual friends how that person is doing. “You’re just raising the ghost,” she said.

Fisher, who put 17 people who had just been dumped through brain scanners, found activity in the VTA and in brain functions linked to attachment and physical pain. “Not the anxiety linked to physical pain, but physical pain,” she said.

Langeslag also said there is hope for the heartbroken. She ran two studies to see if people could try to make themselves feel less in love. The strategies that worked? First, it helps to think negative thoughts about the person you are trying to fall out of love with. The downside? “Thinking negatively makes you feel less in love but doesn’t make you feel any better,” Langeslag said. “Worse, actually.”

What then? Distraction. Think of things that make you happy other than the person you are trying to fall out of love with. This made people happier but no less in love.

The solution? The “one-two punch,” as Langeslag described it, or: negative thoughts about the person followed by a dose of distraction.

Her research found that people were able to deliberately decrease their love, but not completely banish it. The average amount of time for healed hurt feelings, according to survey data collected from her subjects, who self-reported, was six months, although the healing time depended on several factors, including how long the relationship lasted.

Rachelle Ramirez, a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon, can still recall a time when negative associations did the trick for her. When she was 15, she had what felt like an incurable crush on a classmate who was far less interested in her.

“When I say his disinterest was excruciating, it’s often seen as teen melodrama,” said Ramirez, who is now 47. “This assumption doesn’t come close to capturing the pain” she felt when thinking of him.

So how did Ramirez quash it? “I imagined him covered in vomit and holding dead kittens,” she said. “I know it was extreme, and I wouldn’t suggest everyone try this, but it worked for me.”

Some don’t buy into the notion, whether backed by science or not, that willing oneself to fall out of love is possible.

Bethany Cook, a clinical psychologist in Chicago who specializes in neuropsychological assessment, is wary about the notion of being able to control falling out of love.

“Love and affection are basic human needs. We can’t deliberately deny ourselves of it. That would be like saying we could consciously choose to stop breathing,” Cook said. “We don’t have that power, and to pretend we do is a way for the psyche to trick itself into thinking it has control, and is an unhealthy coping mechanism.

“Humans can fall out of love with someone, just not deliberately,” she added. “To suggest that humans deliberately act in a way that depletes a basic need runs contrary to the basic nature of what makes us human and what science tells us about our species.”

It took Ruiz, the marriage therapist, more than a year to successfully fall out of love. He said it took a divorce mediator to help detach from his wife more wholly, as well as immersing himself in activities with friends and family. And the help of a therapist.

“I thank my individual counselor for reminding me that the breakup of a marriage is a two-way street,” he said. “Both my ex-wife and I are held responsible for what happened.”

His therapist “also reminded me that I am human and am as vulnerable to relationship issues as any other person,” he added.

It helps to reframe the notion of falling in or out of love, said Damon L. Jacobs, a marriage and family therapist in New York. “Relationships are conduits for greater energy, joy and fulfillment but are not the lone source,” Jacobs said. Having this mindset, he said, may help you to embrace the pain with more grace and perspective.

“When things don’t work out,” he said, “we know we are still amazing, powerful, fierce, loving people who will continue to grow, love and thrive.”

In May 2020, Omar Ruiz found himself with a broken heart. “My wife told me she was no longer in love with me,” and shortly thereafter, the couple, who had been married 11 years, separated.

In May 2020, Omar Ruiz found himself with a broken heart. “My wife told me she was no longer in love with me,” and shortly thereafter, the couple, who had been married 11 years, separated. Not only was he crushed, he said, but as a marriage and family therapist, “this entire process challenged my professional identity,” said Ruiz, who is 36 and lives in Boston. “How could I help couples when my own marriage is falling apart?” And so he determined that he needed to fall out of love. “People say heartbreak is normal, so we shouldn’t try to fix it,” said Sandra Langeslag, an associate professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who has studied the effects of breakups on the brain. But she points out that there are plenty of common, and even serious, diseases that we try to cure, so “why shouldn’t we try to help people with heartbreak and try to move on?” Heartbreak has inspired music, poetry, visual art, ice-cream-filled listening sessions with friends and even a new hotel. And regardless of the reason — whether death, cognitive impairment, divorce or otherwise — most who experience it hope to recover and maybe even fall in love again with someone new. But what if we actually had some control over the process? Can one deliberately fall out of love? Some of the science says yes. “You can work on it,” said Helen E. Fisher, a biological anthropologist and senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute in New York. She studies the anatomy of love, and in 2005 studied the brain imaging of 100 people using MRIs to pinpoint the circuitry of romantic love. Fisher said she discovered that the same area of the brain associated with hunger and thirst — what is known as the ventral tegmental area, or VTA — becomes activated when you’re in love, making it “a drive, not an emotion.” This biological function makes falling out of love about as hard as trying not to feel thirsty. In other words, it’s not easy. Kisha Mays, 40, who runs a business consultancy in Houston, continued to love her former boyfriend even while he was in prison. They were on and off for years, she said, and got back together for two years before he was released in October 2021. Then two months later, she said, he broke up with her. “Now it is just healing, rebuilding and learning to trust again,” Mays said, noting that reiki and spiritual healing — along with throwing out all of his belongings — have helped. Fisher would agree with Mays’ technique: She suggests treating the recovery process as you would an addiction, and throw out the cards, letters and keepsakes that remind you of the person. Don’t maintain contact or ask mutual friends how that person is doing. “You’re just raising the ghost,” she said. Fisher, who put 17 people who had just been dumped through brain scanners, found activity in the VTA and in brain functions linked to attachment and physical pain. “Not the anxiety linked to physical pain, but physical pain,” she said. Langeslag also said there is hope for the heartbroken. She ran two studies to see if people could try to make themselves feel less in love. The strategies that worked? First, it helps to think negative thoughts about the person you are trying to fall out of love with. The downside? “Thinking negatively makes you feel less in love but doesn’t make you feel any better,” Langeslag said. “Worse, actually.” What then? Distraction. Think of things that make you happy other than the person you are trying to fall out of love with. This made people happier but no less in love. The solution? The “one-two punch,” as Langeslag described it, or: negative thoughts about the person followed by a dose of distraction. Her research found that people were able to deliberately decrease their love, but not completely banish it. The average amount of time for healed hurt feelings, according to survey data collected from her subjects, who self-reported, was six months, although the healing time depended on several factors, including how long the relationship lasted. Rachelle Ramirez, a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon, can still recall a time when negative associations did the trick for her. When she was 15, she had what felt like an incurable crush on a classmate who was far less interested in her. “When I say his disinterest was excruciating, it’s often seen as teen melodrama,” said Ramirez, who is now 47. “This assumption doesn’t come close to capturing the pain” she felt when thinking of him. So how did Ramirez quash it? “I imagined him covered in vomit and holding dead kittens,” she said. “I know it was extreme, and I wouldn’t suggest everyone try this, but it worked for me.” Some don’t buy into the notion, whether backed by science or not, that willing oneself to fall out of love is possible. Bethany Cook, a clinical psychologist in Chicago who specializes in neuropsychological assessment, is wary about the notion of being able to control falling out of love. “Love and affection are basic human needs. We can’t deliberately deny ourselves of it. That would be like saying we could consciously choose to stop breathing,” Cook said. “We don’t have that power, and to pretend we do is a way for the psyche to trick itself into thinking it has control, and is an unhealthy coping mechanism. “Humans can fall out of love with someone, just not deliberately,” she added. “To suggest that humans deliberately act in a way that depletes a basic need runs contrary to the basic nature of what makes us human and what science tells us about our species.” It took Ruiz, the marriage therapist, more than a year to successfully fall out of love. He said it took a divorce mediator to help detach from his wife more wholly, as well as immersing himself in activities with friends and family. And the help of a therapist. “I thank my individual counselor for reminding me that the breakup of a marriage is a two-way street,” he said. “Both my ex-wife and I are held responsible for what happened.” His therapist “also reminded me that I am human and am as vulnerable to relationship issues as any other person,” he added. It helps to reframe the notion of falling in or out of love, said Damon L. Jacobs, a marriage and family therapist in New York. “Relationships are conduits for greater energy, joy and fulfillment but are not the lone source,” Jacobs said. Having this mindset, he said, may help you to embrace the pain with more grace and perspective. “When things don’t work out,” he said, “we know we are still amazing, powerful, fierce, loving people who will continue to grow, love and thrive.”

Can we fall out of love?

As the smell of cinnamon rolls and suntan lotion wafted through the spring air at Disneyland on Monday morning, Rory Sutherland flung herself on the sidewalk and had what can only be described as a hissy fit.

She was ready for a hug from Mickey Mouse — in fact, beyond ready: For more than two years, ever since the pandemic began, Disneyland’s furry inhabitants have been off limits. The park was closed for 14 months. When it reopened in April 2021 with extensive health-related modifications, Mickey and Minnie and their cohorts were kept at a distance from guests. No hugs. No autographs. No secrets whispered in little ears. Only waving from afar, which bummed out some families so much that they canceled or postponed their trips.

But on Monday, Rory, 2, trained her eyes on someone coming around the corner in red trousers and big, white gloves. Squeal-screaming, she picked herself up off the pavement and ran toward him with arms outstretched. Her mother, father and uncle chased after her and scrambled to unlock their iPhones to catch a photo of their embrace.

That’s right: Hugs are back.

“Cheese! Cheese!” Rory shouted toward her paparazzi, as Mickey knelt and started to rub noses with her. Rory’s mother, Alyssa Sutherland, wiped away a tear. “We’ve been waiting and waiting for the character interactions to come back,” Sutherland said, noting that the family had traveled to Southern California from Lethbridge, Canada.

Mickey was himself undoubtedly in need of a hug. In addition to the lingering effects of the pandemic, Disney has been roiled over the past month by the culture wars. Employees revolted over the company’s initial silence on an anti-LGBTQ law, and right-wing protests broke out after the company did speak up. In this hyperpartisan moment, both sides of the political divide have been pulling on Disney, leading to some not-so-magical moments around a brand that is supposed to symbolize happily ever after.

“Hugs for everyone!” one Disney employee shouted when Mickey arrived.

Some people find Disney’s extra-syrupy, tightly managed theme parks to be, well, extra-creepy. The character hugging, which has been part of the Disneyland experience since its earliest days in the 1950s, may seem particularly odd. Grown men waiting in line for the chance to squeeze a life-size Donald Duck? (Yes, adults are eligible, with or without children.)

A few videos of inappropriate behavior — by guests — have gone viral, as with a moment from 2015, when a young woman groped the muscled chest of a performer playing Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast.” (He sent her away. “You’re done,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s&nbsp;children.”)

In some instances, coming face-to-face with Cinderella or Winnie the Pooh or Aladdin is sensory overload. “I loved Mickey Mouse, but when I met the actual real-life Mickey, or rather, his impersonator, and he tried to hug me in his warm, fuzzy suit, I recoiled in fear,” actress-producer Mindy Kaling wrote in her 2011 memoir.

But a lot of American families consider it a rite of childhood to hug one of Disney’s cartoon characters. Disney theme parks around the world attracted an estimated 151 million visitors in 2019, according to the Themed Entertainment Association, which has not yet released figures for 2021.

“It’s part of what makes Disney so special,” said Bri Petrarca, who had brought her sons, Grayson, 5, and Asher, 2, to meet characters on Monday. She was wearing a pink T-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Here for the hugs.”

About 50 people were waiting at that moment to hug Minnie Mouse, who had appeared in her polka dots near the Main Street USA magic shop. Three women in their 20s, each wearing mouse-ear headbands, waited their turn; one of them, Natalie Parks, from Salt Lake City, said hugging Minnie was “a chance to reconnect with my childhood.”

TikTok, Instagram and the ubiquity of camera phones have made such interactions more sought out than ever, according to Robyn Vossen, Disneyland’s general manager of entertainment operations. In some instances, characters appear without notice (always with a handler to run interference). Some characters, including the Disney princesses, are so mobbed that the company has built indoor, heavily themed environments for them to inhabit. Walt Disney World in Florida even offers front-of-the-line reservations.

“Fur characters” (those in full-body suits) do not speak and appear only for about 30 minutes at a time, largely because it can be exhausting for the performer, especially in summer heat. “Face characters,” like the princesses, do not wear masks so they can chat with guests. Disneyland has roughly 50 costumed characters in rotation, Vossen said.

With the return of character hugs, operations have been almost fully restored at Disney’s domestic resorts after a lengthy period in which social distancing and other coronavirus safety measures took priority. The company dropped most face-covering requirements in February. Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade is set to return Friday.

Disney needs this summer to be a blockbuster: The division of the company that includes theme parks had $16.6 billion in revenue last year, down from $26 billion in 2019, according to financial filings.

“Character interactions are such a big deal because they provide an emotional touch point,” Vossen said. “That personal, one-on-one interaction may be the most powerful offering that The Walt Disney Co. has.”

With that, Mickey Mouse headed “offstage,” as Disney refers to its behind-the-scenes areas. “Time for a bathroom break,” one employee said.

Vossen, who has worked at Disneyland for 42 years, frowned and offered a correction. “Or to grab a quick piece of cheese,” she said.

As the smell of cinnamon rolls and suntan lotion wafted through the spring air at Disneyland on Monday morning, Rory Sutherland flung herself on the sidewalk and had what can only be described as a hissy fit.

As the smell of cinnamon rolls and suntan lotion wafted through the spring air at Disneyland on Monday morning, Rory Sutherland flung herself on the sidewalk and had what can only be described as a hissy fit. She was ready for a hug from Mickey Mouse — in fact, beyond ready: For more than two years, ever since the pandemic began, Disneyland’s furry inhabitants have been off limits. The park was closed for 14 months. When it reopened in April 2021 with extensive health-related modifications, Mickey and Minnie and their cohorts were kept at a distance from guests. No hugs. No autographs. No secrets whispered in little ears. Only waving from afar, which bummed out some families so much that they canceled or postponed their trips. But on Monday, Rory, 2, trained her eyes on someone coming around the corner in red trousers and big, white gloves. Squeal-screaming, she picked herself up off the pavement and ran toward him with arms outstretched. Her mother, father and uncle chased after her and scrambled to unlock their iPhones to catch a photo of their embrace. That’s right: Hugs are back. “Cheese! Cheese!” Rory shouted toward her paparazzi, as Mickey knelt and started to rub noses with her. Rory’s mother, Alyssa Sutherland, wiped away a tear. “We’ve been waiting and waiting for the character interactions to come back,” Sutherland said, noting that the family had traveled to Southern California from Lethbridge, Canada. Mickey was himself undoubtedly in need of a hug. In addition to the lingering effects of the pandemic, Disney has been roiled over the past month by the culture wars. Employees revolted over the company’s initial silence on an anti-LGBTQ law, and right-wing protests broke out after the company did speak up. In this hyperpartisan moment, both sides of the political divide have been pulling on Disney, leading to some not-so-magical moments around a brand that is supposed to symbolize happily ever after. “Hugs for everyone!” one Disney employee shouted when Mickey arrived. Some people find Disney’s extra-syrupy, tightly managed theme parks to be, well, extra-creepy. The character hugging, which has been part of the Disneyland experience since its earliest days in the 1950s, may seem particularly odd. Grown men waiting in line for the chance to squeeze a life-size Donald Duck? (Yes, adults are eligible, with or without children.) A few videos of inappropriate behavior — by guests — have gone viral, as with a moment from 2015, when a young woman groped the muscled chest of a performer playing Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast.” (He sent her away. “You’re done,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s children.”) In some instances, coming face-to-face with Cinderella or Winnie the Pooh or Aladdin is sensory overload. “I loved Mickey Mouse, but when I met the actual real-life Mickey, or rather, his impersonator, and he tried to hug me in his warm, fuzzy suit, I recoiled in fear,” actress-producer Mindy Kaling wrote in her 2011 memoir. But a lot of American families consider it a rite of childhood to hug one of Disney’s cartoon characters. Disney theme parks around the world attracted an estimated 151 million visitors in 2019, according to the Themed Entertainment Association, which has not yet released figures for 2021. “It’s part of what makes Disney so special,” said Bri Petrarca, who had brought her sons, Grayson, 5, and Asher, 2, to meet characters on Monday. She was wearing a pink T-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Here for the hugs.” About 50 people were waiting at that moment to hug Minnie Mouse, who had appeared in her polka dots near the Main Street USA magic shop. Three women in their 20s, each wearing mouse-ear headbands, waited their turn; one of them, Natalie Parks, from Salt Lake City, said hugging Minnie was “a chance to reconnect with my childhood.” TikTok, Instagram and the ubiquity of camera phones have made such interactions more sought out than ever, according to Robyn Vossen, Disneyland’s general manager of entertainment operations. In some instances, characters appear without notice (always with a handler to run interference). Some characters, including the Disney princesses, are so mobbed that the company has built indoor, heavily themed environments for them to inhabit. Walt Disney World in Florida even offers front-of-the-line reservations. “Fur characters” (those in full-body suits) do not speak and appear only for about 30 minutes at a time, largely because it can be exhausting for the performer, especially in summer heat. “Face characters,” like the princesses, do not wear masks so they can chat with guests. Disneyland has roughly 50 costumed characters in rotation, Vossen said. With the return of character hugs, operations have been almost fully restored at Disney’s domestic resorts after a lengthy period in which social distancing and other coronavirus safety measures took priority. The company dropped most face-covering requirements in February. Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade is set to return Friday. Disney needs this summer to be a blockbuster: The division of the company that includes theme parks had $16.6 billion in revenue last year, down from $26 billion in 2019, according to financial filings. “Character interactions are such a big deal because they provide an emotional touch point,” Vossen said. “That personal, one-on-one interaction may be the most powerful offering that The Walt Disney Co. has.” With that, Mickey Mouse headed “offstage,” as Disney refers to its behind-the-scenes areas. “Time for a bathroom break,” one employee said. Vossen, who has worked at Disneyland for 42 years, frowned and offered a correction. “Or to grab a quick piece of cheese,” she said.

After a 2-year ban, hugs are back at Disneyland

Last year, India was at the centre of the global Covid outbreak, but the situation&nbsp;has seen significant improvement since then, as most of the precautions have now been lifted.

But on Monday, India's daily COVID-19 cases nearly doubled compared to the previous day. On Monday, more than 2,000 cases were registered for the first time this month with southern Kerala state recording&nbsp;a spike in mortality.

With the Covid marking a slight return in India,&nbsp;here are some of the techniques that you can follow if you get infected with COVID-19 and also ensure that others around you are safe.

1. Distance yourself from everyone:&nbsp;Keep your belongings away. Prefer to wear an N95 mask even if you are alone in the room, use gloves and disposables as it reduces the chances of transmission to others.

2. Stay hydrated:&nbsp;Drinking plenty of water is very essential for the body but it’s even more important when you’re sick. Your body loses water as a result of symptoms like fever, sweating, vomiting, which leads to dehydration. It's okay to hydrate yourself with water, but your body will absorb the fluid better if either salt or sugar is added.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-reports-increase-in-covid-19-cases-weekly-cases-rise-in-haryana-kerala-and-gujarat-471815">Delhi reports increase in COVID-19 cases; weekly cases rise in Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat</a>

3. It’s very common that when you’re sick, especially during an upset stomach, you may not feel like having anything. During Covid, there are high chances of passing out. So, your body needs proper nourishment to feel great. Eat nutritious foods&nbsp;that help in boosting your immunity. Incorporate fresh citrus fruits and vegetables like spinach into your diet. Even intake of vitamin supplements can help in building immunity.

4. It is strongly advised to lie face down if faced with shortness of breath,&nbsp;as it helps improve&nbsp;oxygen levels in the blood.

5. Keep a regular check on your oxygen level using a pulse oximeter.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/is-covid-19-more-dangerous-than-driving-how-scientists-are-parsing-coronavirus-risks-471747">Is COVID-19 more dangerous than driving? How scientists are parsing coronavirus risks.</a>

6. Practice breathing exercises.&nbsp;

7. Taking medicines like paracetamol might help you in alleviating symptoms like body aches, fever, but if you are at a higher risk of developing severe infection, such as those who are unvaccinated, ages or people with medical issues, doctors might prescribe you oral antiviral medicines.

Last year, India was at the centre of the global Covid outbreak, but the situation has seen significant improvement since then, as most of the precautions have now been lifted.

Last year, India was at the centre of the global Covid outbreak, but the situation has seen significant improvement since then, as most of the precautions have now been lifted. But on Monday, India's daily COVID-19 cases nearly doubled compared to the previous day. On Monday, more than 2,000 cases were registered for the first time this month with southern Kerala state recording a spike in mortality. With the Covid marking a slight return in India, here are some of the techniques that you can follow if you get infected with COVID-19 and also ensure that others around you are safe. 1. Distance yourself from everyone: Keep your belongings away. Prefer to wear an N95 mask even if you are alone in the room, use gloves and disposables as it reduces the chances of transmission to others. 2. Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water is very essential for the body but it’s even more important when you’re sick. Your body loses water as a result of symptoms like fever, sweating, vomiting, which leads to dehydration. It's okay to hydrate yourself with water, but your body will absorb the fluid better if either salt or sugar is added. Also read | Delhi reports increase in COVID-19 cases; weekly cases rise in Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat 3. It’s very common that when you’re sick, especially during an upset stomach, you may not feel like having anything. During Covid, there are high chances of passing out. So, your body needs proper nourishment to feel great. Eat nutritious foods that help in boosting your immunity. Incorporate fresh citrus fruits and vegetables like spinach into your diet. Even intake of vitamin supplements can help in building immunity. 4. It is strongly advised to lie face down if faced with shortness of breath, as it helps improve oxygen levels in the blood. 5. Keep a regular check on your oxygen level using a pulse oximeter. Also read | Is COVID-19 more dangerous than driving? How scientists are parsing coronavirus risks. 6. Practice breathing exercises. 7. Taking medicines like paracetamol might help you in alleviating symptoms like body aches, fever, but if you are at a higher risk of developing severe infection, such as those who are unvaccinated, ages or people with medical issues, doctors might prescribe you oral antiviral medicines.

Here are some simple tips to help you ease your Covid symptoms at home

Attention, spheksophobes: Wasps just want to help.

And Heather Holm wants to help them make their case to gardeners and others.

Holm, a biologist and pollinator conservationist, knows it’s not an easy sell. But in her recent book, “Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants,” she asks that we consider wasps — and not just their cousins, the bees — in the plant choices we make and the pollinator-friendly gardens we create.

“If we took wasps out of the equation,” she said, “many of the leaf- and seed-eating insects they prey on would just go unchecked.”

Troubled by cabbage loopers chewing on your brassicas? There’s a wasp for that.

If tomato hornworms try to defoliate your plants, there’s a wasp for that, too — more than one, in fact. There are also wasps that target tarnished plant bugs (a pest with a taste for a wide range of vegetables and small fruits) and ones that prey on brown marmorated stink bugs and fall webworms. All such sustenance is brought back by adult female wasps to provision their nests, as food for their larvae.

One wasp species is even providing scientists with biosurveillance support in the fight against the emerald ash borer, a devastating invasive beetle whose wood-boring larvae are infesting and killing large numbers of native ash trees (Fraxinus) throughout the United States. In areas not yet infested by the ash borer, researchers monitor the prey brought back to nests of smoky-winged beetle bandit wasps (Cerceris fumipennis), looking for remains of the borers, which helps them track the pest’s widening dispersal.

The list of the organic pest control services offered by wasps goes on, and yet it is the wasps that we humans reflexively regard as pests. That reputation is the result of just 1.5% of the total wasp species in North America — the ones that build social nests above or below ground, forming colonies and cooperatively living in multigenerational nests during breeding season to rear the next generation.

The irony: It is the social wasps toward whom we feel anti-social. They have inadvertently tainted our view of the other 98.5% (although, to be fair, the social ones provide ecosystem services, too).

The trigger is typically a run-in (or more likely a run-over, while mowing) with ground-nesting yellowjackets (Vespula). Or a too-close encounter with a nest of paper wasps (Polistes) or perhaps with a larger, more complex nest of bald-faced hornets (Dolichovespula maculata), its many layers of combs enclosed in an envelope. The result is a sting — always delivered by a female — that we just cannot forget.

If the wasps had been nectaring on flowers like sumac or goldenrod, their most-visited woody and herbaceous plant choices, they would have paid us no mind, Holm is quick to point out. But when we threaten their nests — the home to the next generation — their best defense is a good, and painful, offense.

“The flower garden is the restaurant, not their home — they don’t defend it,” Holm said. “But social wasps are very inclined to defend their home.”

Flowers a Wasp Could Love

Wasps need habitats similar to those preferred by bees — the subject of Holm’s previous book, “Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide.” But bees eat a plant-based diet. Their prey-seeking cousins, the wasps, need something more: to be around the specific plants that attract the insects they hunt to feed their young.

No one book could tackle the almost 13,000 species of wasps in North America north of Mexico. In “Wasps,” Holm focuses on the flower-visiting species, social and solitary, the aculeate wasps (some of whom, the Apoid wasps, are the evolutionary ancestors of bees).

Their unfortunate common name? Stinging wasps.

“People have long known these wasps have flower associations,” Holm said. So it mystified her when she scanned the literature about eastern North America that very little had been documented. “It was hard to find even three sentences in old books or research papers that even hinted at their visiting flowers.”

Wasps make up 15% of the total number of flower-visiting insects worldwide. But they are regarded as incidental or secondary pollinators, not the pollination machines that bees are designed to be, with their hairy bodies that pollen granules cling to.

Another anatomical difference: The range of flowers that adult wasps can drink nectar from is limited because their tongues are typically shorter than those of bees. While choosing native plants is important when you’re creating a habitat that supports beneficial insects, the wasps have an additional request: simple, shallow flowers, please.

Plant families with such flower forms include carrot relatives such as rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) and golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea). Asters and their kin, including goldenrod (Solidago), fleabane (Erigeron), tickseed (Coreopsis) and boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), are also especially attractive to wasps.

So are mint family members, including various mountain mints (Pycnanthemum), horsemint (Monarda punctata) and bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), and likewise milkweeds (Asclepias) and their relative dogbane or Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum).

Oh, and lots of wasps love the color white, as many of those examples underscore.

“If you have white and purple prairie clover side by side,” Holm said, “you’ll likely observe wasps preferentially visiting the white flowers.”

Remember the restaurant-versus-home analogy, she said, and go ahead: Start planting with wasps in mind. Enhancing the garden with their preferred flowers won’t increase your chances of being stung — and it might make your vegetable garden a more resilient place.

Limiting the Risk of Getting Stung

No amount of explaining wasps’ role in the order of things or the ecological services they provide will make anyone want the nest of a social wasp along a walkway, under the porch eaves or in any high-traffic area.

But what’s the best way to discourage them from stinging — and to avert the near-inevitable human impulse to spray some chemical from a distance to eradicate an established nest, killing all of the individuals in it?

Intervene early, Holm advised, to dissuade nest-building in high-risk spots, sparing risk to yourself and to whole colonies, above or underground. “Don’t even think of trying to intervene in August,” she said.

One insight toward that end: Yellowjacket females, probably the wasp most often responsible for stinging humans, search out preexisting cavities, like rodent holes in the ground, when they are emerging from winter hibernation in early spring. Try closing up those holes proactively.

And if you had a ground-nesting colony in the yard last year, look there first, Holm recommended, because wasps will often search for and initiate a nest near the site of their natal one.

Similarly, check eaves, overhangs and birdhouses early and regularly for any sign of the construction of a nest comb, she said, “when maybe there is only an occupant or two involved.”

Nest-Building Heroics and Other Tales

Holm’s strategy for changing our minds about wasps: to keep telling their stories.

Like the one about the great golden digger wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus), whose female may dig only one nest in her lifetime. Still, she puts her all into creating that multicellular burrow in the ground. Using the same vibratory mechanism that bees use in sonication — the buzz pollination of flowers — the female of this thread-waisted species gets to work in a sunny spot with sparse or no vegetation.

“They grab hold of clumps of soil or aggregate with their mandibles,” Holm said, “and vibrate their thoracic muscles, making a sound like the dentist’s drill or like a little jackhammer.”

Or the black-and-ivory-colored Eastern cicada killer (Sphecius speciosus), one of the largest solitary wasps in eastern North America: Each burrow in her nest must be as much as twice her body width — large enough to accommodate the various species of annual cicadas (not the periodical types) that she stashes inside to sustain her young. As if all that excavating weren’t enough, there is also the matter of transporting a parcel that may be twice her body weight, with occasional stops on the ground to rest along the way.

Then there are the species that perform elaborate mating dances and those that stay clasped to their mates to prevent the female from mating with other males.

“Just telling one fun or fascinating story about a wasp people have never heard, with this amazing life history, and what a struggle it is for them to produce the next generation,” Holm said, “that might build a little empathy for those species who are just trying to eke out a living in these ecosystems that we have changed, and not always for the better.”

The next step on her bucket list, after persuading gardeners to add key wasp-friendly flowering plants to enhance their pollinator plantings beyond the bees’ top choices?

She’ll know she has finally succeeded, she said, when she sees evidence on social media that people have moved in close enough to photograph wasps nectaring on the blooms — not just more butterfly photos.

Attention, spheksophobes: Wasps just want to help. And Heather Holm wants to help them make their case to gardeners and others. Holm, a biologist and pollinator conservationist, knows it’s not an easy sell.

Attention, spheksophobes: Wasps just want to help. And Heather Holm wants to help them make their case to gardeners and others. Holm, a biologist and pollinator conservationist, knows it’s not an easy sell. But in her recent book, “Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants,” she asks that we consider wasps — and not just their cousins, the bees — in the plant choices we make and the pollinator-friendly gardens we create. “If we took wasps out of the equation,” she said, “many of the leaf- and seed-eating insects they prey on would just go unchecked.” Troubled by cabbage loopers chewing on your brassicas? There’s a wasp for that. If tomato hornworms try to defoliate your plants, there’s a wasp for that, too — more than one, in fact. There are also wasps that target tarnished plant bugs (a pest with a taste for a wide range of vegetables and small fruits) and ones that prey on brown marmorated stink bugs and fall webworms. All such sustenance is brought back by adult female wasps to provision their nests, as food for their larvae. One wasp species is even providing scientists with biosurveillance support in the fight against the emerald ash borer, a devastating invasive beetle whose wood-boring larvae are infesting and killing large numbers of native ash trees (Fraxinus) throughout the United States. In areas not yet infested by the ash borer, researchers monitor the prey brought back to nests of smoky-winged beetle bandit wasps (Cerceris fumipennis), looking for remains of the borers, which helps them track the pest’s widening dispersal. The list of the organic pest control services offered by wasps goes on, and yet it is the wasps that we humans reflexively regard as pests. That reputation is the result of just 1.5% of the total wasp species in North America — the ones that build social nests above or below ground, forming colonies and cooperatively living in multigenerational nests during breeding season to rear the next generation. The irony: It is the social wasps toward whom we feel anti-social. They have inadvertently tainted our view of the other 98.5% (although, to be fair, the social ones provide ecosystem services, too). The trigger is typically a run-in (or more likely a run-over, while mowing) with ground-nesting yellowjackets (Vespula). Or a too-close encounter with a nest of paper wasps (Polistes) or perhaps with a larger, more complex nest of bald-faced hornets (Dolichovespula maculata), its many layers of combs enclosed in an envelope. The result is a sting — always delivered by a female — that we just cannot forget. If the wasps had been nectaring on flowers like sumac or goldenrod, their most-visited woody and herbaceous plant choices, they would have paid us no mind, Holm is quick to point out. But when we threaten their nests — the home to the next generation — their best defense is a good, and painful, offense. “The flower garden is the restaurant, not their home — they don’t defend it,” Holm said. “But social wasps are very inclined to defend their home.” Flowers a Wasp Could Love Wasps need habitats similar to those preferred by bees — the subject of Holm’s previous book, “Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide.” But bees eat a plant-based diet. Their prey-seeking cousins, the wasps, need something more: to be around the specific plants that attract the insects they hunt to feed their young. No one book could tackle the almost 13,000 species of wasps in North America north of Mexico. In “Wasps,” Holm focuses on the flower-visiting species, social and solitary, the aculeate wasps (some of whom, the Apoid wasps, are the evolutionary ancestors of bees). Their unfortunate common name? Stinging wasps. “People have long known these wasps have flower associations,” Holm said. So it mystified her when she scanned the literature about eastern North America that very little had been documented. “It was hard to find even three sentences in old books or research papers that even hinted at their visiting flowers.” Wasps make up 15% of the total number of flower-visiting insects worldwide. But they are regarded as incidental or secondary pollinators, not the pollination machines that bees are designed to be, with their hairy bodies that pollen granules cling to. Another anatomical difference: The range of flowers that adult wasps can drink nectar from is limited because their tongues are typically shorter than those of bees. While choosing native plants is important when you’re creating a habitat that supports beneficial insects, the wasps have an additional request: simple, shallow flowers, please. Plant families with such flower forms include carrot relatives such as rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) and golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea). Asters and their kin, including goldenrod (Solidago), fleabane (Erigeron), tickseed (Coreopsis) and boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), are also especially attractive to wasps. So are mint family members, including various mountain mints (Pycnanthemum), horsemint (Monarda punctata) and bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), and likewise milkweeds (Asclepias) and their relative dogbane or Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum). Oh, and lots of wasps love the color white, as many of those examples underscore. “If you have white and purple prairie clover side by side,” Holm said, “you’ll likely observe wasps preferentially visiting the white flowers.” Remember the restaurant-versus-home analogy, she said, and go ahead: Start planting with wasps in mind. Enhancing the garden with their preferred flowers won’t increase your chances of being stung — and it might make your vegetable garden a more resilient place. Limiting the Risk of Getting Stung No amount of explaining wasps’ role in the order of things or the ecological services they provide will make anyone want the nest of a social wasp along a walkway, under the porch eaves or in any high-traffic area. But what’s the best way to discourage them from stinging — and to avert the near-inevitable human impulse to spray some chemical from a distance to eradicate an established nest, killing all of the individuals in it? Intervene early, Holm advised, to dissuade nest-building in high-risk spots, sparing risk to yourself and to whole colonies, above or underground. “Don’t even think of trying to intervene in August,” she said. One insight toward that end: Yellowjacket females, probably the wasp most often responsible for stinging humans, search out preexisting cavities, like rodent holes in the ground, when they are emerging from winter hibernation in early spring. Try closing up those holes proactively. And if you had a ground-nesting colony in the yard last year, look there first, Holm recommended, because wasps will often search for and initiate a nest near the site of their natal one. Similarly, check eaves, overhangs and birdhouses early and regularly for any sign of the construction of a nest comb, she said, “when maybe there is only an occupant or two involved.” Nest-Building Heroics and Other Tales Holm’s strategy for changing our minds about wasps: to keep telling their stories. Like the one about the great golden digger wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus), whose female may dig only one nest in her lifetime. Still, she puts her all into creating that multicellular burrow in the ground. Using the same vibratory mechanism that bees use in sonication — the buzz pollination of flowers — the female of this thread-waisted species gets to work in a sunny spot with sparse or no vegetation. “They grab hold of clumps of soil or aggregate with their mandibles,” Holm said, “and vibrate their thoracic muscles, making a sound like the dentist’s drill or like a little jackhammer.” Or the black-and-ivory-colored Eastern cicada killer (Sphecius speciosus), one of the largest solitary wasps in eastern North America: Each burrow in her nest must be as much as twice her body width — large enough to accommodate the various species of annual cicadas (not the periodical types) that she stashes inside to sustain her young. As if all that excavating weren’t enough, there is also the matter of transporting a parcel that may be twice her body weight, with occasional stops on the ground to rest along the way. Then there are the species that perform elaborate mating dances and those that stay clasped to their mates to prevent the female from mating with other males. “Just telling one fun or fascinating story about a wasp people have never heard, with this amazing life history, and what a struggle it is for them to produce the next generation,” Holm said, “that might build a little empathy for those species who are just trying to eke out a living in these ecosystems that we have changed, and not always for the better.” The next step on her bucket list, after persuading gardeners to add key wasp-friendly flowering plants to enhance their pollinator plantings beyond the bees’ top choices? She’ll know she has finally succeeded, she said, when she sees evidence on social media that people have moved in close enough to photograph wasps nectaring on the blooms — not just more butterfly photos.

Why you should plant a garden that's wasp-friendly

Reports say South Koreans are struggling to sleep. Some have resorted to alcohol, some are addicted to pills, many are buying sleep products. But what's behind South Korea's sleeplessness? Palki Sharma Upadhyay brings you a fascinating story.

Gravitas: Why are South Koreans sleep deprived?

No more blame games and no more fake evidence needed to separate from a bad marriage, at least in England. 
From Wednesday, unhappy spouses in England and Wales can end their marriages without blaming each other. The new rule is being touted as the biggest reform in divorce law in the country in half a century.&nbsp; 
 
The onset of "no-fault" divorces means one spouse no longer needs to prove the other guilty of adultery, "unreasonable behaviour" or desertion. 
 
Earlier, if such grounds did not exist, the couple were asked to live apart for two years before a divorce could be granted by the court. Sometimes if one of the partners objected to the proceedings, it could stretch up to five years.&nbsp; 
 
The change brings England and Wales into line with Scotland, which has its own legal system, and with other countries including the United States, Australia and Germany.

Several experts expect a rush of divorces by couples who were waiting for legal reforms, they also predict that it could lead to more marriages considering the separation would be simpler if need be.&nbsp;

The case of Tini Owens galvanised a campaign for change after she lost a Supreme Court fight in 2018, having failed to persuade the judges that her 40-year marriage should end.

Her husband had contested her claims of unreasonable behaviour, and the judges ruled that being trapped in an unhappy marriage was not in itself grounds for divorce.

"No-one should have to remain in a loveless marriage or endure a long, drawn-out and expensive court battle to end it," Owens said.

"This change in the law guards against that happening and I welcome it," she added.

(with inputs from agencies)

No more blame games and no more fake evidence needed to separate from a bad marriage, at least in England. From Wednesday, unhappy spouses in England and Wales can end their marriages without blaming each other.

No more blame games and no more fake evidence needed to separate from a bad marriage, at least in England. From Wednesday, unhappy spouses in England and Wales can end their marriages without blaming each other. The new rule is being touted as the biggest reform in divorce law in the country in half a century. The onset of "no-fault" divorces means one spouse no longer needs to prove the other guilty of adultery, "unreasonable behaviour" or desertion. Earlier, if such grounds did not exist, the couple were asked to live apart for two years before a divorce could be granted by the court. Sometimes if one of the partners objected to the proceedings, it could stretch up to five years. The change brings England and Wales into line with Scotland, which has its own legal system, and with other countries including the United States, Australia and Germany. Several experts expect a rush of divorces by couples who were waiting for legal reforms, they also predict that it could lead to more marriages considering the separation would be simpler if need be. The case of Tini Owens galvanised a campaign for change after she lost a Supreme Court fight in 2018, having failed to persuade the judges that her 40-year marriage should end. Her husband had contested her claims of unreasonable behaviour, and the judges ruled that being trapped in an unhappy marriage was not in itself grounds for divorce. "No-one should have to remain in a loveless marriage or endure a long, drawn-out and expensive court battle to end it," Owens said. "This change in the law guards against that happening and I welcome it," she added. (with inputs from agencies)

No-fault divorce law comes into force in England and Wales

Eating two servings of avocados a week was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study.

The study was published in 'Journal of the American Heart Association'.

Avocados contain dietary fibre, unsaturated fats especially monounsaturated fat (healthy fats) and other favourable components that have been associated with good cardiovascular health. Clinical trials have previously found avocados have a positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors including high cholesterol.

Researchers have believed this is the first, large, prospective study to support the positive association between higher avocado consumption and lower cardiovascular events, such as coronary heart disease and stroke.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-staying-active-travelling-can-help-people-cope-with-anxiety-depression-says-study-465151">Staying active, travelling can help people cope with anxiety, depression, says study</a>

"Our study provides further evidence that the intake of plant-sourced unsaturated fats can improve diet quality and is an important component in cardiovascular disease prevention," said Lorena S. Pacheco, PhD, M.P.H., R.D.N., lead author of the study and a postdoctoral research fellow in the nutrition department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

"These are particularly notable findings since the consumption of avocados has risen steeply in the U.S. in the last 20 years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture," she added.

For 30 years, researchers followed more than 68,780 women (ages 30 to 55 years) from the Nurses 'Health Study and more than 41,700 men (ages 40 to 75 years) from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. All study participants were free of cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke at the start of the study and living in the United States.

Watch |&nbsp;Hidden immunity: Study gives clues on how some escape Covid-19 infection

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Researchers documented 9,185 coronary heart disease events and 5,290 strokes during more than 30 years of follow-up. Researchers assessed participants'&nbsp;diet using food frequency questionnaires given at the beginning of the study and then every four years. They calculated avocado intake from a questionnaire item that asked about the amount consumed and frequency. One serving equalled half of an avocado or a half cup of avocado.

The analysis found:

1. After considering a wide range of cardiovascular risk factors and overall diet, study participants who ate at least two servings of avocado each week had a 16 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 21 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to those who never or rarely ate avocados.

2. Based on statistical modelling, replacing half a serving daily of margarine, butter, egg, yoghurt, cheese or processed meats such as bacon with the same amount of avocado was associated with a 16 per cent to 22 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease events.

3. Substituting half a serving a day of avocado for the equivalent amount of olive oil, nuts and other plant oils showed no additional benefit.

4. No significant associations were noted in relation to stroke risk and how much avocado was eaten.

"The study's results have provided additional guidance for health care professionals to share. Offering the suggestion to replace certain spreads and saturated fat-containing foods, such as cheese and processed meats, with avocado is something physicians and other health care practitioners such as registered dietitians can do when they meet with patients, especially since avocado is a well-accepted food," Pacheco said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-probably-just-hormones-womens-illnesses-going-undiagnosed-460442">'Probably just hormones': Women's illnesses going undiagnosed</a>

"These findings are significant because a healthy dietary pattern is a cornerstone for cardiovascular health, however, it can be difficult for many Americans to achieve and adhere to healthy eating patterns," said Cheryl Anderson, PhD, M.P.H., FAHA, chair of the American Heart Association's Council on Epidemiology and Prevention.

"We desperately need strategies to improve intake of AHA-recommended healthy diets -- such as the Mediterranean diet -- that is rich in vegetables and fruits," said Anderson, who is a professor and dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego.

"Although no one food is the solution to routinely eating a healthy diet, this study is evidence that avocados have possible health benefits. This is promising because it is a food item that is popular, accessible, desirable and easy to include in meals eaten by many Americans at home and in restaurants," Cheryl concluded.

Eating two servings of avocados a week was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study. The study was published in 'Journal of the American Heart Association'.

Eating two servings of avocados a week was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study. The study was published in 'Journal of the American Heart Association'. Avocados contain dietary fibre, unsaturated fats especially monounsaturated fat (healthy fats) and other favourable components that have been associated with good cardiovascular health. Clinical trials have previously found avocados have a positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors including high cholesterol. Researchers have believed this is the first, large, prospective study to support the positive association between higher avocado consumption and lower cardiovascular events, such as coronary heart disease and stroke. Also read | Staying active, travelling can help people cope with anxiety, depression, says study "Our study provides further evidence that the intake of plant-sourced unsaturated fats can improve diet quality and is an important component in cardiovascular disease prevention," said Lorena S. Pacheco, PhD, M.P.H., R.D.N., lead author of the study and a postdoctoral research fellow in the nutrition department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. "These are particularly notable findings since the consumption of avocados has risen steeply in the U.S. in the last 20 years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture," she added. For 30 years, researchers followed more than 68,780 women (ages 30 to 55 years) from the Nurses 'Health Study and more than 41,700 men (ages 40 to 75 years) from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. All study participants were free of cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke at the start of the study and living in the United States. Watch | Hidden immunity: Study gives clues on how some escape Covid-19 infection Researchers documented 9,185 coronary heart disease events and 5,290 strokes during more than 30 years of follow-up. Researchers assessed participants' diet using food frequency questionnaires given at the beginning of the study and then every four years. They calculated avocado intake from a questionnaire item that asked about the amount consumed and frequency. One serving equalled half of an avocado or a half cup of avocado. The analysis found: 1. After considering a wide range of cardiovascular risk factors and overall diet, study participants who ate at least two servings of avocado each week had a 16 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 21 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared to those who never or rarely ate avocados. 2. Based on statistical modelling, replacing half a serving daily of margarine, butter, egg, yoghurt, cheese or processed meats such as bacon with the same amount of avocado was associated with a 16 per cent to 22 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease events. 3. Substituting half a serving a day of avocado for the equivalent amount of olive oil, nuts and other plant oils showed no additional benefit. 4. No significant associations were noted in relation to stroke risk and how much avocado was eaten. "The study's results have provided additional guidance for health care professionals to share. Offering the suggestion to replace certain spreads and saturated fat-containing foods, such as cheese and processed meats, with avocado is something physicians and other health care practitioners such as registered dietitians can do when they meet with patients, especially since avocado is a well-accepted food," Pacheco said. Also read | 'Probably just hormones': Women's illnesses going undiagnosed "These findings are significant because a healthy dietary pattern is a cornerstone for cardiovascular health, however, it can be difficult for many Americans to achieve and adhere to healthy eating patterns," said Cheryl Anderson, PhD, M.P.H., FAHA, chair of the American Heart Association's Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. "We desperately need strategies to improve intake of AHA-recommended healthy diets -- such as the Mediterranean diet -- that is rich in vegetables and fruits," said Anderson, who is a professor and dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego. "Although no one food is the solution to routinely eating a healthy diet, this study is evidence that avocados have possible health benefits. This is promising because it is a food item that is popular, accessible, desirable and easy to include in meals eaten by many Americans at home and in restaurants," Cheryl concluded.

Avocados may lower risk of cardiovascular disease, study finds

France's prestigious Michelin Guide is among the world's most influential references on gourmet dining, its star ratings highly coveted and sometimes controversial.

Ahead of the publication of its 2022 edition on Tuesday, here is some background.

- More than 120 years old -

French tyre manufacturer Michelin brought out a travel guide in 1900, the early days of the automobile, to encourage motorists to take to the road and so boost its business.

The free, red guidebook included maps, instructions on how to change tyres and lists of mechanics and hotels along the route.&nbsp;

The first run of 35,000 copies was such a success that guides for Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Spain followed.

In 2021, in a small revolution, an edition was published for those wanting to discover France by regional train, rather than by car.

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- Star rating -

The guide included restaurant listings from 1920, when it started charging for the publication. It began sending out undercover inspectors, and from the early 1930s introduced its famous star ratings.

Michelin says it issues up to three stars based on the quality of the ingredients used; mastery of flavour and cooking techniques; the personality of the chef in his cuisine; value for money; and consistency between visits.

One star indicates "High quality cooking, worth a stop"; two stars is for "Excellent cooking, worth a detour"; and three rates "Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey".

Of about 20,000 international restaurants listed, only around 130 have attained the highest distinction.

In 2021, the Guide was criticised for keeping its selection in France going, despite the fact that restaurants were closed due to the Covid pandemic. Its competitors had decided to cancel their awards.

- Michelin goes global -

In 2005, the Michelin Guide branched out of Europe with a New York guide, followed in 2007 by editions for San Francisco then Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

It moved to Asia with a Tokyo version in 2008 when 90,000 copies, in English and Japanese, flew off the shelves in 48 hours.

Michelin published its first Shanghai guide in 2016 and today there are versions for several Asian cities, with Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo also covered.

Having long been criticised as biased towards formal dining, the guide in 2016 awarded a star to a Singapore street food outlet known for a braised chicken dish.&nbsp;

A famed Tokyo sushi restaurant, where Barack Obama is said to have enjoyed the best sushi of his life, was meanwhile dropped in 2019 after it stopped accepting reservations from the general public.

- A lot of pressure -

A handful of French restaurateurs have relinquished their Michelin status because of the stress of being judged by its inspectors, including Joel Robuchon (1996), Alain Senderens (2005), Olivier Roellinger (2008) and Sebastien Bras (2017).

The suicide in 2003 of three-star chef Bernard Loiseau was linked, among other reasons, to hints that his restaurant was about to lose its three stars.

Star Swiss chef Benoit Violier took his life in 2016, a day ahead of the release of the Michelin Guide, although his restaurant maintained its three-star rating.

The guide was taken to court for the first time in 2019 when celebrity chef Marc Veyrat sued it for stripping one of his restaurants of a third star and suggesting -- wrongly, he insists -- that he had used cheddar cheese in a souffle.

His lawsuit was rejected.

France's prestigious Michelin Guide is among the world's most influential references on gourmet dining, its star ratings highly coveted and sometimes controversial.

France's prestigious Michelin Guide is among the world's most influential references on gourmet dining, its star ratings highly coveted and sometimes controversial. Ahead of the publication of its 2022 edition on Tuesday, here is some background. - More than 120 years old - French tyre manufacturer Michelin brought out a travel guide in 1900, the early days of the automobile, to encourage motorists to take to the road and so boost its business. The free, red guidebook included maps, instructions on how to change tyres and lists of mechanics and hotels along the route. The first run of 35,000 copies was such a success that guides for Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Spain followed. In 2021, in a small revolution, an edition was published for those wanting to discover France by regional train, rather than by car. Paris Fashion Week 2022 in pictures: Serving us some fashion looks - Star rating - The guide included restaurant listings from 1920, when it started charging for the publication. It began sending out undercover inspectors, and from the early 1930s introduced its famous star ratings. Michelin says it issues up to three stars based on the quality of the ingredients used; mastery of flavour and cooking techniques; the personality of the chef in his cuisine; value for money; and consistency between visits. One star indicates "High quality cooking, worth a stop"; two stars is for "Excellent cooking, worth a detour"; and three rates "Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey". Of about 20,000 international restaurants listed, only around 130 have attained the highest distinction. In 2021, the Guide was criticised for keeping its selection in France going, despite the fact that restaurants were closed due to the Covid pandemic. Its competitors had decided to cancel their awards. - Michelin goes global - In 2005, the Michelin Guide branched out of Europe with a New York guide, followed in 2007 by editions for San Francisco then Las Vegas and Los Angeles. It moved to Asia with a Tokyo version in 2008 when 90,000 copies, in English and Japanese, flew off the shelves in 48 hours. Michelin published its first Shanghai guide in 2016 and today there are versions for several Asian cities, with Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo also covered. Having long been criticised as biased towards formal dining, the guide in 2016 awarded a star to a Singapore street food outlet known for a braised chicken dish. A famed Tokyo sushi restaurant, where Barack Obama is said to have enjoyed the best sushi of his life, was meanwhile dropped in 2019 after it stopped accepting reservations from the general public. - A lot of pressure - A handful of French restaurateurs have relinquished their Michelin status because of the stress of being judged by its inspectors, including Joel Robuchon (1996), Alain Senderens (2005), Olivier Roellinger (2008) and Sebastien Bras (2017). The suicide in 2003 of three-star chef Bernard Loiseau was linked, among other reasons, to hints that his restaurant was about to lose its three stars. Star Swiss chef Benoit Violier took his life in 2016, a day ahead of the release of the Michelin Guide, although his restaurant maintained its three-star rating. The guide was taken to court for the first time in 2019 when celebrity chef Marc Veyrat sued it for stripping one of his restaurants of a third star and suggesting -- wrongly, he insists -- that he had used cheddar cheese in a souffle. His lawsuit was rejected.

France's Michelin, the go-to guide on fine dining

A London restaurant has put Chicken Kiev back on its menu, renaming the 1970s-era staple Chicken Kyiv and making a donation with each order to help <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/live-russia-claims-to-have-besieged-two-big-cities-in-ukraine-455211">Ukrainian refugees.</a>

Il Portico restaurant, an Italian family restaurant in west London that opened in the 1960s, has revived the traditional breadcrumb-coated, butter-filled dish, which was once a trusted favourite of British dining.

"What people really want right now is comfort," the restaurant's owner James Chiavarini told AFP, adding that staff decided to bring it back -- but using the Ukrainian spelling. ''Kiev" reflects the way the city's name is pronounced in Russian, so Ukraine prefers "Kyiv".

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"I thought: why don't we just put a £5 ($6.6) donation for every one sold to the Red Cross. And it's a nice way... for all of our customers to get involved in the cause," said Chiavarini.

British companies and ordinary members of the public have responded with numerous charitable drives to help Ukrainians fleeing Moscow's invasion.

Reflecting the national mood, British supermarket chain Sainsbury's has also announced that it is renaming its version of the dish. The origins of the chicken dish are contested, with Russia claiming to have had a hand in it, along with the French.

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In Britain, it was the first chilled ready meal sold by Marks &amp; Spencer in the late 1970s.

"It's one of those staple dishes that everyone used to joke about -- you know, think about those old 70s foods: the dessert trolleys, the Black Forest gateau, the Chicken Kievs," said Chiavarini.

The restaurateur added that the renaming was not intended to be "anti-Russian" -- conscious that the restaurant is located close to both Russian and Ukrainian embassies.

"This is here specifically just to raise money for the Red Cross, to help out people in Ukraine, especially refugees," he said. One of the diners tucking into Chicken Kyiv, Anglican priest Graham Morgan, said he enjoys the dish in any case, and "on this occasion it is, in a very small way, helping the people of Ukraine".

A London restaurant has put Chicken Kiev back on its menu, renaming the 1970s-era staple Chicken Kyiv and making a donation with each order to help Ukrainian refugees.

A London restaurant has put Chicken Kiev back on its menu, renaming the 1970s-era staple Chicken Kyiv and making a donation with each order to help Ukrainian refugees. Il Portico restaurant, an Italian family restaurant in west London that opened in the 1960s, has revived the traditional breadcrumb-coated, butter-filled dish, which was once a trusted favourite of British dining. "What people really want right now is comfort," the restaurant's owner James Chiavarini told AFP, adding that staff decided to bring it back -- but using the Ukrainian spelling. ''Kiev" reflects the way the city's name is pronounced in Russian, so Ukraine prefers "Kyiv". In pics: 6 must-try Ukrainian dishes we bet you haven't tried! "I thought: why don't we just put a £5 ($6.6) donation for every one sold to the Red Cross. And it's a nice way... for all of our customers to get involved in the cause," said Chiavarini. British companies and ordinary members of the public have responded with numerous charitable drives to help Ukrainians fleeing Moscow's invasion. Reflecting the national mood, British supermarket chain Sainsbury's has also announced that it is renaming its version of the dish. The origins of the chicken dish are contested, with Russia claiming to have had a hand in it, along with the French. Dance, food and festivals! Things you should know about the Ukrainian culture In Britain, it was the first chilled ready meal sold by Marks & Spencer in the late 1970s. "It's one of those staple dishes that everyone used to joke about -- you know, think about those old 70s foods: the dessert trolleys, the Black Forest gateau, the Chicken Kievs," said Chiavarini. The restaurateur added that the renaming was not intended to be "anti-Russian" -- conscious that the restaurant is located close to both Russian and Ukrainian embassies. "This is here specifically just to raise money for the Red Cross, to help out people in Ukraine, especially refugees," he said. One of the diners tucking into Chicken Kyiv, Anglican priest Graham Morgan, said he enjoys the dish in any case, and "on this occasion it is, in a very small way, helping the people of Ukraine".

London restaurant revives Chicken Kyiv to help Ukrainians

As a mark of respect to Ukraine, fashion designer Giorgio Armani switched off the music during his Milan fashion show on Sunday.&nbsp; 
 
Models walked down the ramp in an eerie quiet show only interrupted by applause from the audience. The models wore short jackets in pastel shades, and shiny black and silver dresses.

"My decision not to use any music was taken as a sign of respect towards the people involved in the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine," read a post on the fashion designer's social media account. 
 
"The best thing to do is send a message that we don't want to celebrate because something very disturbing is happening around us," the 87-year-old designer, visibly moved, later said on the sidelines of the show.

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Mr Armani has chosen to not use any music at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GiorgioArmani?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GiorgioArmani</a> Fall Winter 2022-23 show as a sign of respect to the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine. <a href="https://t.co/IUXLhI2m7d">pic.twitter.com/IUXLhI2m7d</a>
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Both male and female models sported black velvet coats, jackets and trousers for the fall/winter collection, sometimes with a touch of blue or red. There were also electric blue silk evening gowns and sleeveless blouses, embroidered tops, long white overalls and flowery prints.

Armani's show traditionally brings down the curtain at Milan's fashion week every year.&nbsp;&nbsp;This year, the event was an in-person show, unlike the past years when it was completely a digital show due to the pandemic.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

As a mark of respect to Ukraine, fashion designer Giorgio Armani switched off the music during his Milan fashion show on Sunday. Models walked down the ramp in an eerie quiet show only interrupted by applause from the audience.

As a mark of respect to Ukraine, fashion designer Giorgio Armani switched off the music during his Milan fashion show on Sunday. Models walked down the ramp in an eerie quiet show only interrupted by applause from the audience. The models wore short jackets in pastel shades, and shiny black and silver dresses. "My decision not to use any music was taken as a sign of respect towards the people involved in the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine," read a post on the fashion designer's social media account. "The best thing to do is send a message that we don't want to celebrate because something very disturbing is happening around us," the 87-year-old designer, visibly moved, later said on the sidelines of the show. Mr Armani has chosen to not use any music at the #GiorgioArmani Fall Winter 2022-23 show as a sign of respect to the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/IUXLhI2m7d — Armani (@armani) February 27, 2022 × Both male and female models sported black velvet coats, jackets and trousers for the fall/winter collection, sometimes with a touch of blue or red. There were also electric blue silk evening gowns and sleeveless blouses, embroidered tops, long white overalls and flowery prints. Armani's show traditionally brings down the curtain at Milan's fashion week every year. This year, the event was an in-person show, unlike the past years when it was completely a digital show due to the pandemic. (With inputs from agencies)

Giorgio Armani holds silent fashion show in Milan as a mark of respect to Ukraine

Dance, food and festivals! Things you should know about the Ukrainian culture

Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, has reportedly found a new love. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is now dating 27-year-old Australian actress Natasha Bassett.&nbsp; 
 
A report in Daily Mail states that the young model has said she has fallen for the 50-year-old's brains and "not his bank balance."&nbsp; 
 
Musk's net worth at present is estimated to be around $233 billion which makes him the richest person on Earth. 
Bassett was recently spotted leaving Musk's private jet in Los Angeles, US. A source close to the couple said that the two have seen each other for some time now.&nbsp; 
 
"They were friends first and only became romantic after he split with Grimes," the source told the publication.&nbsp; 
 
Musk split from singer Grimes in September 2021. They share a one-year-old son called 'X AE A-Xii'. Musk also has five sons with his first wife, author Justine Musk. He was also married to British actress Talulah Riley twice. 
 
In an Instagram post in October last year, Grimes had revealed that she was 'still living' with Musk post their break-up. 
 
Meanwhile, Bassett will be seen as legendary singer Elvis Presley's first girlfriend, Dixie Locke, in an upcoming biopic. 
 
"She's gorgeous and could have her pick of men but says she adores Elon because he's so smart and interesting to be around," the source added. 
 
The couple "have only been dating for a couple of months, but they are already in a monogamous relationship. They are very much into each other and have been spending a tremendous amount of time together," the source further added.&nbsp; 
 
Musk so far has not confirmed his new relationship.&nbsp;

Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, has reportedly found a new love. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is now dating 27-year-old Australian actress Natasha Bassett.

Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, has reportedly found a new love. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is now dating 27-year-old Australian actress Natasha Bassett. A report in Daily Mail states that the young model has said she has fallen for the 50-year-old's brains and "not his bank balance." Musk's net worth at present is estimated to be around $233 billion which makes him the richest person on Earth. Bassett was recently spotted leaving Musk's private jet in Los Angeles, US. A source close to the couple said that the two have seen each other for some time now. "They were friends first and only became romantic after he split with Grimes," the source told the publication. Musk split from singer Grimes in September 2021. They share a one-year-old son called 'X AE A-Xii'. Musk also has five sons with his first wife, author Justine Musk. He was also married to British actress Talulah Riley twice. In an Instagram post in October last year, Grimes had revealed that she was 'still living' with Musk post their break-up. Meanwhile, Bassett will be seen as legendary singer Elvis Presley's first girlfriend, Dixie Locke, in an upcoming biopic. "She's gorgeous and could have her pick of men but says she adores Elon because he's so smart and interesting to be around," the source added. The couple "have only been dating for a couple of months, but they are already in a monogamous relationship. They are very much into each other and have been spending a tremendous amount of time together," the source further added. Musk so far has not confirmed his new relationship.

Elon Musk is reportedly dating 27-year-old model Natasha Bassett

International Mother Language Day, which is a national holiday in Bangladesh, is observed worldwide annually on February 21 to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism.

International Mother Language Day, which is a national holiday in Bangladesh, is observed worldwide annually on February 21 to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. At the 1999 UNESCO General Conference, the idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was approved and it has been marked throughout the world since 2000. The initiative was taken by Bangladesh. This year's theme is - "Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities". The theme aims to discuss the potential role of technology in order to advance multilingual education. ALSO READ | How a Chilean indigenous language vanishes as last native speaker dies "UNESCO believes in the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies. It is within its mandate for peace that it works to preserve the differences in cultures and languages that foster tolerance and respect for others" - UNESCO Linguistic diversity has been threatened languages are disappearing over the course of time. Recently, an indigenous language from South America's extreme south has all but vanished after the death of its last living speaker and guardian of its ancestral culture. UNESCO states that globally 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. "Every two weeks a language disappears taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage. At least 43% of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered," as per the United Nations. Here are some of the facts about Indian mother languages: 1) There are 121 languages in India -The 22 languages specified in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India are given in Part A. -Rest are specified in the Eighth Schedule (numbering 99) are given in Part B. 2) There are 270 mother tongues. -Hindi is the mother language of more than 520 million people and it is one of the most popular languages in India. -Sanskrit is the language of 24,821 people only. -In India, English comes under the category of non-scheduled languages i.e not specified in the eighth schedule. History of International Mother's Day On February 21 in 1952, Pakistan declared Urdu as the national language of the country. A move that didn't go well with the people from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). They came out on the streets to protest against the decision by the Pakistan government. Police used force as they fired on protestors which lead to many deaths and injured. On January 9 in 1998, Rafiqul Islam and Abdus Salam, Bengalis living in Vancouver, Canada wrote a letter to Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. In the letter, they asked the UN to save the world's languages from extinction by declaring an International Mother Language Day. The date February 21 was proposed by Rafiq to commemorate the 1952 killings in Dhaka during the Language Movement. In 1999, February 21 was declared International Mother Language Day by UNESCO. In 2022, the US general assembly welcomed the decision. In 2007, the UNGA called upon member states "to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world". This year's theme is - "Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities". The theme aims to discuss the potential role of technology in order to advance multilingual education.

History and significance of International Mother Language Day 2022: Some facts about Indian mother languages

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