Richa Chadha on Love Sonia, Shakeela: Roles I'm getting are only getting better as my name brings credibility

Actress Richa Chadha has succesfully made a mark in the film industry with her versatile choices. In an industry which easily stereotypes performers' talents, Chadha has managed to evade any particular 'style'. 

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She easily slips under the skin of an unabashed Dolly in Oye Luck! Lucky Oye!, the threatening yet hilarious gangster lord in Fukrey, the indomitable Nagma Khatoon in Gangs of Wasseypur or her most recent portrayal of the madame of a brothel in Love Sonia.

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Her compelling performance in Tabrez Noorani's directorial has already won her two honours, Best Supporting Performance award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne and Outstanding Achievement Award at the London Indian Film Festival. Chadha opened up to DNA about her projects, the share of risks it brings and her upcoming biopic on the 90's adult film star haling from the South, Shakeela.

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Chadha confesses she was unsure of Love Sonia. She thought the film should not become 'titillating', especially since the narrative deals with grave issues involving the global sex trade. She prepared for the role by extensively talking with women who had been sex workers. The knowledge that many Indian families push their own into the flesh trade, shocked the actress.

Talking about the intentions behind Love Sonia, Chadha says that the film comes from a very "noble" space making people understand the sorry state of affairs that India and many other countries are in.

Currently working on Shakeela and Inside Edge 2, Chadha is in a happy space in terms of the kind of work she is involved with. She feels it's a good time to work, all with streaming platforms coming up in a big way.

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Chadha smiles when asked whether she feels she hasn't yet got her due. She plainly disagrees, adding that when journalists ask her this question, it flatters her as it reflects that people feel she is worth much more as a performer.

 Her roles are her rewards, she insists. Mostly because they allow her to breathe and explore. "The parts that I have been getting are only getting better. I am getting films centered around me, people value me and my name brings credibility. I want to have a relevance beyond my youth and I’m working towards that," says Chadha.

टाइम्स रविना टंडन ने कलर ब्लॉकिंग ट्रेंड रॉक किया

Ending the conversation on a positive note, Chadha says that her work equals passion now. Though it comes with its share of stress and living apart from loved ones, she enjoys it and gives it her all.

Students of UGC Net and JEE Main will get free coaching, NTA offers Mock Test facility

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is offering free mock test to UGC Net and JEE Main students. The students' official website can go to nta.ac.in and practice the exam from the mock test.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will provide free coaching facility for competitive examinations from 2019. National Tasting Agency is offering free mock test to students. Candidates from JEE Main and UGC Net can practice exam from Mock Test by visiting NTA official website nta.ac.in. To inform you that to provide free coaching to students, National Tasting Agency will turn its 2,697 test practice centers into a teaching center in 2019. Students of JEE Main and UGC Net can take advantage of the Mock Test from the steps given below.

Click on the Student Registration (Mock Test) link given on the website of the candidates who did not have already registered for the Mock Test. After registration, you can easily take advantage of the mock test facility.

Examination of UGC Net will be held from December 9 to 23 December 2018. These exams (UGC NET) will be computer-based. Candidates can register for the exam from September 1 to September 30. The result of the test of the net will be released on January 10, 2019.

The JEE Main1 exam will be held from 6th to 20th January 2019 and JEE Main 2 exams will be held from April 6 to 20, 2019.

Supreme Court's verdict on Ayodhya matter is very important in the wake of 2019

The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, the court's decision on Namaz, soon cleared the way for hearing in the Supreme Court.

The path of hearing soon became clear in the Supreme Court of the Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid dispute, which has been hanging for decades. The Supreme Court will now start hearing the case from October 29. In a significant decision today, the Supreme Court said that reading prayers in the mosque is an integral part of Islam or not, there is no need to send this question to the larger bench.

Ayodhya case has been hanging for the last eight years in the Supreme Court. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court had said that the disputed land in Ayodhya should be divided into three parts. Part of it should be given to Ram Lala, to a Hindu side and third party to the Muslim side. This decision, which came with the ownership of the land, was challenged in the Supreme Court. But the hearing has been hanging and straying.

During this hearing, the question of the verdict of the five judges of the Supreme Court given in 1994 was raised in which the instructions were given to maintain the status quo on the Ram Janmabhoomi so that Hindu worship can be recited. The bench also said that reading Namaz in the mosque is not an integral part of Islam. Today the Supreme Court said in the majority verdict that the Supreme Court had commented on land acquisition in 1994. The government can take over the land on which the mosque is located. Namaz can be read somewhere, the mosque is not necessary for it. This decision of 1994 will not be assigned to the big benches. The Supreme Court today pronounced this verdict two-one. Now Ayodhya land dispute hearing will begin on October 29. If there was a case for the big bench, then the Ayodhya dispute hearing was delayed.

However, there is no opinion on this decision in the Supreme Court. The third judge, Justice S Abdul Nazir, disagreed with both the judges. He said that the decision of 1994 is in the circle of questions. These remarks were made without detailed examination. The impact also took place on the Allahabad High Court verdict. Therefore, the matter should be referred to the constitution bench.

But now this matter will not go into the constitution bench. Obviously there are many political aspects of this decision too. This decision, which came right before the next Lok Sabha elections, is being viewed as a major relief for the BJP. It is believed that this can benefit the BJP, many of the big leaders have said many times that Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya. However, the party has been saying about the Supreme Court's decision to wait for this decision. On the other hand, the rest of the parties say the same thing but they also question the Center and the BJP's government's intention of UP.

Reactions to today's decision have started and even started. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that the Ayodhya issue is as good as the quickest solution. He said that the decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court that has happened today is very important in this matter. In 1994 also the Honorable Supreme Court had interpreted this type and I think that there is an alleged dispute related to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi as soon as its As soon as the solution is settled, it is necessary for the sake of cordiality and prosperity and the majority of the people of the country also want an urgent solution to this issue

Yogi Adityanath alleges that there are many people who do not want to solve this issue. They are not only stopping the balloons but also trying to spoil the atmosphere. "Our appeal will be as quick as possible. Those who want to create a controversy and newsense in the country knowingly, they are trying to stoop somewhere." The order of Hon'ble Supreme Court of today is very important and we Welcome and believe that very soon we will take the decision by completing the hearing. "

On the other hand, the RSS also welcomed the decision of today. In a statement, the Sangh said in a statement that today the Supreme Court has decided to hear the trial of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi by a three-member bench on October 29, we welcome it and believe that it will be the fair decision of the trial very soon.

While the Congress said that BJP has been fooling the country for the past 30 years on this issue. In the case, the parties lobbying for the Babri Masjid have expressed disappointment.

Union Minister Uma Bharti is under litigation in the Ayodhya dispute. He has also put his words on today's decision. Although he said that the Ram Janmabhoomi is sacred to Hindus, but not for Muslims, for which Mecca is sacred. Uma Bharti expressed hope that the construction of the Ram temple will be started soon. But senior Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi has expressed surprise at the uproar over the decision of today's decision. He said that so much excitement is beyond understanding.

Now everybody's eyes will be tuned to the Supreme Court that there is a verdict in the matter of early hearing, or once again a legal screw will get entangled in this case. The question is whether the Supreme Court can give a decision about the ownership of the land disputed before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections? If this happens then it will become a big issue in the Lok Sabha elections.

Here it is necessary to tell how senior lawyers demanded the hearing of this case after the next Lok Sabha election. In December last year, Chief Justice Deepak Mishra was also upset with the case. Kapil Sibal, Dushyant Dave and Rajiv Dhawan, appearing in the court on behalf of different Muslim petitioners, had said that the trial of this case should be postponed. Kapil Sibal had said that BJP is saying that the Ram temple will be built before 2019 through legal route. They want to include it in the electoral manifesto. The court should not be caught in this trap. In this case there are more than 90 thousand documents which need time for study.

These lawyers also threatened to get out of court in anger. After this, Chief Justice Deepak Mishra looted. He said that the court does not agree with such behavior of the lawyers. He had said that speaking in a loud voice would not be tolerated. Talk about legal issues. A high voice exposes your inability to senior lawyers.

Google 20th Birthday: Built by two friends, the Internet's largest search engine, know how happened.

Today is the 20th birthday of Google's largest search engine Google (Google 20th Birthday). On the 20th birthday, Google has written G20GLE

Today is the 20th birthday of Google's largest search engine Google (Google 20th Birthday). On the 20th birthday, Google has written G20GLE Also Google has shown the video. Where he is showing the whole journey of Google. The video shows searches in many languages. Google started with two students. There was a college project that we know today as Google. Larry Page and Sergey Bin were doing PhD at Stanford University in 1995. He created an internet search engine on Google.stanford.edu address. Firstly its name was BackRub. After which it was named GOOGLE

The domain of Google.com (google.com) though registered on September 15, 1995. That's why Google's birthday should be on September 15. However, Larry Page and Sergey Bin, the founder of search engine, registered Google as a company on September 4, 1998, and opened the first bank account on the company name. In this sense, Google's birthday can be celebrated on September 4.

Google has so far celebrated its birthday on four separate dates. On Google's 15th birthday, the company himself admitted that he did not know when Google was the real birthday. Google has celebrated its birthday on September 7, September 8, September 26 and September 27 in different years. In 2002, Google celebrated its fourth birthday on 27 September. Google celebrated its birthday on September 7 and next September 8 next year. However, since the year 2006 Google has been celebrating its birthday only on 27th September.

ONLINE PLATFORMS CAN'T ABUSE DATA TO IMPACT FREE CHOICE IN INDIA: IT MINISTER

The government on Friday reiterated its firm stand on data privacy and against online platforms abusing data to impact free choice in India.

Speaking at the Global Mobility Summit here on data analytics and mobility, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the acquisition of big data should be done with fair and transparent principles.

"You can't abuse data to impact free choice in India... We have flagged (this) very very clearly," said the Minister.

Of late, the IT Ministry has taken a strong stance on data privacy and its reported misuse in the electoral process of the country, among others.

Earlier, in June Prasad, who is also the Law Minister, had said that any attempt to influence the 2019 general elections by any "covert or overt" manner would not be accepted.

The Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee on data protection in India submitted to the government in July suggested amendments to various laws, including the Aadhaar Act, to provide for imposition of penalties on data fiduciaries for violations of the data protection law.

"The citizen's rights have to be protected, the responsibilities of the states have to be defined, but the data protection can't be at the cost of trade and industry," the report had said.

Prasad, on Friday, further said: "Internet is one of the finest creations of human mind, it should not remain the monopoly of few."

"If Internet is to become truly global it must have linkage with the local -- local ideas, local views, local heritage."

He also emphasised on the need for a balance among data availability, data utility, data innovation, data anonymity and data privacy.

Aim To Achieve Denuclearisation In Donald Trump's First Term: Kim Jong Un

The third summit between the North's leader Kim Jong-Un and South Korean 

President 

Moon Jae has been announced for September 18-20.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: 

The leaders of the two Koreas will hold a summit in Pyongyang in September, Seoul said Thursday, as Kim Jong Un renewed his commitment to the denuclearisation of the flashpoint peninsula.

The announcement of the September 18-20 summit -- the third between the North's leader Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in this year -- comes as US efforts to dismantle Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal have stalled.

The two leaders will meet in the North Korean capital to discuss "practical measures to denuclearise" the peninsula, South Korean National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong told reporters.

Chung on Wednesday flew to Pyongyang where he handed over a personal letter from Moon to Kim, as Seoul seeks to kick-start the diplomacy that led to the landmark June summit between US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader.

The two pledged to denuclearise the Korean peninsula at the Singapore meeting but no details were agreed, and Washington and Pyongyang have sparred since on what that means and how it will be achieved.

However, in his meeting with Chung, Kim renewed his commitment to that goal, North Korean state media said Thursday.

The two Koreas "should further their efforts to realise the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula", Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.

"It is our fixed stand... to completely remove the danger of armed conflict and horror of war from the Korean peninsula and turn it into the cradle of peace without nuclear weapons and free from nuclear threat."

'Sense of frustration' 

The pledge comes after Trump, frustrated with a lack of progress on disarmament, last month cancelled Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's trip to Pyongyang after the North reportedly sent a belligerent letter to the US leader.

Stephen Biegun, newly-appointed US envoy for the North, said last month Kim had promised "final, fully verified denuclearisation" at the Singapore summit.

But Pyongyang has slammed the Washington for its "gangster-like" demands for complete, verifiable and irreversible disarmament.

Kim emphasised that his "trust in Trump remains unchanged" despite the difficulties, Chung said, and expressed his intention to work closely with the US to achieve denuclearisation "in the first official term of President Trump."

But the North Korean leader also expressed a "sense of frustration" with the international community for not appreciating what he called Pyongyang's "very significant and meaningful" steps, Chung said.

Kim noted the North had dismantled its nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, where nuclear tests "have been made impossible for good", according to the South Korean envoy.

"Chairman Kim asked us to convey the message to the US that the US (should) help create situations where he would feel his decision to denuclearise was a right move", Chung said.

Chung also conveyed a message from Trump to Kim, a presidential spokesman said, without elaborating.

'Litmus test' 

The upcoming summit between Kim and Moon may help break the months-long deadlock after the Singapore summit, said Lim Eul-chul, professor at Kyungnam University's Graduate School of North Korean Studies. 

"There is a still big gap between what the North considers sufficient goodwill gestures, like destroying its missile test stand or a nuclear test site, and what the US wants, including on-site verification by experts," he said. 

Narrowing the gap and rebuilding trust between Kim and Trump is key in the dialogue -- if any -- ahead, he said, adding Kim would seek to send more reconciliatory messages to Trump through Moon in September.

North Korea has demanded that Washington agree to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, and accused it of failing to reciprocate "goodwill measures".

But American officials and conservatives in the South are concerned such a declaration would weaken the US-South Korea alliance and deprive the 28,000 US forces stationed on the peninsula of their deployment rationale.

Kim dismissed such worries, Chung said, and told the South Korean delegation that a formal end of the Korean War would not be linked to the withdrawal of the US troops.

Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies said Kim sees the US agreeing to a formal end to the war as a "litmus test" to determine whether Washington is sincere in moving forward.

COMMENT

"But the US... does not seem to be ready to accept the North's demand", he told AFP.

It Is The End Of Section 377: But Before That, Let's Get Some Facts About Homosexuality Straight; Supreme Court Gives Verdict

End of Section 377: In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality and said that Section 377 - which puts a ban on consensual gay sex - is arbitrary and irrational. Its time we get our facts straight about homosexuality.

In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality, a much awaited moment in the gay rights movement in the country. The Supreme Court reversed its own 2013 decision and said that Section 377 - which puts a ban on consensual gay sex - is arbitrary and irrational. Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra read out the judgement which stated that we have to bid adieu to prejudices and empower all citizens. Everyone is entitled to their individualism and every individual's choice needs to be respected. The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Community possesses equal rights under the constitution, it was mentioned in the court.

It is undoubtedly one of the happiest moments in the country today. However, myths and misconceptions about homosexuality continue to exist and many may not be aware of basic facts about homosexuality.

1. Homosexuality is a sexual orientation where a person feels attracted to the same sex or gender as him/herself. Homosexual men and women are referred to as gay or lesbian respectively.

2. Homosexuality is not a disease, mental disorder or any defect. It is common to be unsure or uncomfortable with your sexuality. Talking about sexuality to your loved ones can help become more comfortable with your sexuality.

3. There is no cause of homosexuality. It is totally on the basis of an individual's choice and preference. Some researchers believe it is a result of one's genes, socialization and other individual factors or an interplay of them all.

Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality and scraped out Section 377 from the constitution
Photo Credit: iStock

4. You cannot convince a homosexual person to be heterosexual or change his/her sexuality. You cannot pressurize someone to change their sexuality. It can lead to stress, anxiety and depression. It can also hamper a person's physical, mental and emotional health.

5. It takes time until a person realises whether s/he is homosexual or bisexual or heterosexual. Many people tend to experiment to see what makes them comfortable and happy. The decision to choose your sexuality may be hard and difficult to accept initially.

6. Once you take a decision and are affirmative about being homosexual, you can talk about it with your friends and family. At times people are already aware about their sexual orientation and then it might not be that difficult to open up about it.

7. In case you feel inquisitive or are unsure about your sexuality, try and talk to a doctor. You might feel depressed and have doubts about your gender identity. Seeking expert advice can be helpful in this case. 

DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy,HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.

Facebook, Twitter Face US Congress Over Politics And Internet

Google offered to send its chief legal officer, Kent Walker, to Wednesday's hearing, 

but he was rejected by the committee, which said it wanted to hear from corporate 

decision-makers.

Top Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc executives will defend their companies before US lawmakers on Wednesday, with Facebook insisting it takes election interference seriously and Twitter denying its operations are influenced by politics.

But no executive from Alphabet Inc's Google is expected to testify, after the company declined the Senate Intelligence Committee's request to send one of its most senior executives, frustrating lawmakers.

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, appearing alongside Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey, will say that her company's efforts to combat foreign influence efforts have improved since the 2016 U.S. election, according to written testimony released on Tuesday.

"The actions we've taken in response ... show our determination to do everything we can to stop this kind of interference from happening," Sandberg said.

The company is getting better at finding and removing "inauthentic" content and now has more than 20,000 people working on safety and security, she said.

Technology executives have repeatedly testified in Congress over the past year, on the defensive over political influence activity on their sites as well as concerns over user privacy.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has been looking into efforts to influence U.S. public opinion for more than a year, after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Kremlin-backed entities sought to boost Republican President Donald Trump's chances of winning the White House in 2016.

Moscow has denied involvement.

Google offered to send its chief legal officer, Kent Walker, to Wednesday's hearing, but he was rejected by the committee, which said it wanted to hear from corporate decision-makers.

'DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM'

Senator Richard Burr, the committee's Republican chairman, said he expected the hearing would focus on solutions to the problem of foreign efforts to influence U.S. elections and sow political discord, with a jab at Google.

"You don't understand the problem if you don't see this as a large effort from whole of government and the private sector," Burr told reporters at the Senate.

Google said Walker would be in Washington on Wednesday and be available to meet with lawmakers. On Tuesday it released written "testimony" describing the company's efforts to combat influence operations.

Twitter's Dorsey also will testify at a House of Representatives hearing on Wednesday that the company "does not use political ideology to make any decisions," according to written testimony also made public on Tuesday.

Dorsey will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, addressing Republican concerns about how the social media platform polices content.

"From a simple business perspective and to serve the public conversation, Twitter is incentivised to keep all voices on the platform," Dorsey said.

Conservative Republicans in Congress have criticized social media companies for what they say are politically motivated practices in removing some content, a charge the companies have repeatedly rejected.

Trump faulted Twitter on July 26, without citing any evidence, for limiting the visibility of prominent Republicans through a practice known as shadow banning.

Democratic Representative David Cicilline blasted Wednesday's hearing and his Republican colleagues, calling claims of political bias baseless.

"There is no evidence that the algorithms of social networks or search results are biased against conservatives. It is a made-up narrative pushed by the conservative propaganda machine to convince voters of a conspiracy that does not exist," Cicilline said.

In Madhya Pradesh, Social Media Use Criterion For Congress Ticket Seekers

Party spokesperson Shobha Oza said that social media activity was not the only

 criteria for ticket selection but the party wants those contesting the election to use

 it extensively.

Congress ticket aspirants in Madhya Pradesh will be evaluated on their use of social media with the state Congress sending a missive that they should have a Facebook page with 15,000 likes, Twitter account with 5,000 followers and WhatsApp group of booth workers in their neighbourhood.

The directions have been conveyed by the state Congress in a letter which refers to steps being taken by the Congress to improve its social media outreach.

The letter says that aspirants for party tickets in the Assembly polls later this year will be evaluated for their use of social media. It also spells out the criteria for judging the activeness in using social media.

"Having Facebook page and Twitter account is mandatory. Being active on WhatsApp is mandatory. It is mandatory to have 15,000 likes on the Facebook page, 5,000 followers on Twitter and having a WhatsApp group of booth members in the neighbourhood," the letter said.

The letter also said that it is mandatory to retweet the tweets by the state unit's Twitter handle and to like and share the posts on its Facebook page.

Party spokesperson Shobha Oza said that social media activity was not the only criteria for ticket selection but the party wants those contesting the election to use it extensively.

She said social media was used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the last election to take its "jumlas" to the people and the party could not counter it effectively.

"This election is going to be held when democracy is threatened and media is under pressure by the Central and state governments. It is all the more necessary that you use social media as a powerful instrument to reach to the masses," she said.

"So we are appealing to our workers and leaders to be more active on social media and share the party's ideology and vision through it," she added.

COMMENT

She alleged that the BJP would again use social media to create a "wrong perception" and it was important to counter its "lies".

Google Doodle Honours German Artist Oskar Schlemmer On His 130th Birthday

Google Doodle: Oskar Schlemmer's tribute is reflective of his work,

 mechanical creatures in metallic masks prancing around doing ballet.

German painter, sculptor and choreographer Oskar Schlemmer would have celebrated his 130th birthday today. To commemorate his birth anniversary, Google Doodle has honoured him with a tribute. The path-breaking artist's most famous work is "Triadisches Ballett," in which the actors are transfigured from the normal to geometrical shapes. Also in Slat Dance and Treppenwitz, the performers' costumes make them into living sculpture, as if part of the scenery.

Google's doodle, too, is similar to how the painter-choreographer would present his rather unusual ballets. Google added a dedication to the artist stating, "With three dancers, 12 movements, and 18 costumes, Oskar Schlemmer's innovative approach to ballet broke with all convention to explore the relationship between body and space in new and exciting ways. He described the performance as "'artistic metaphysical mathematics," and a "party in form and colour."

The doodle too is reflective of his work, mechanical creatures in metallic masks prancing around doing ballet.

Schlemmer's ideas on art were complex and challenging even for the progressive Bauhaus movement. The Bauhaus movement was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. His work, nevertheless, was widely exhibited in both Germany and outside the country.

His work was a rejection of pure abstraction, instead retaining a sense of the human, though not in the emotional sense but in view of the physical structure of the human. He represented bodies as architectural forms, reducing the figure to a rhythmic play between convex, concave and flat surfaces. As well as leaving a large body of work behind, Schlemmer art theories have also been published.

Schlemmer died in 1943 in Baden-Baden. Google Doodle salutes the genius of Oskar Schlemmer on his birth anniversary.

Facebook Down For More Than An Hour; Miffed Users Take To Twitter

The outage lasted less than 90 minutes before normal service resumed.

 Some users had read-only access while others were unable to log in.

Facebook users around the world reported the social network was briefly inaccessible Monday, with many taking to Twitter to voice their frustration.

Reports of issues on the downdetector.com website began around 2100 GMT, with users particularly affected in North America and Europe.

The outage lasted less than 90 minutes before normal service resumed. Some users had read-only access while others were unable to log in.

"Earlier today, a networking issue caused some people to have trouble accessing or posting to various Facebook services," a Facebook spokesman said.

"We quickly investigated and started restoring access, and we have nearly fixed the issue for everyone. We're sorry for the inconvenience."

Stop Using The Term 'Dalit', Says Government In Advisory To Media

Members of the community are also worried that the ban can affect reporting on the oppression faced by the Scheduled Castes.Members of the Scheduled Castes can no longer be referred to as Dalits, a new order from the Broadcasting ministry has told television channels. In a letter to private television channels on August 7, the ministry said the media "may refrain from using the nomenclature Dalit in compliance with the Bombay High Court order".

While the government orders are based on two court verdicts, the ban has been pulled into controversy, with political leaders and activists saying banning a word does not improve the status of the community.

Members of the community are also worried that the ban can affect reporting on the oppression faced by the Scheduled Castes.

"Just because the word is not used, does not mean the community is not oppressed... the media should definitely continue using the word," said lawmaker Udit Raj.

Arvind Kumar from the Centre for Dalit and Minority Studies pointed that it was "not just a word". "It a whole semantics to it... any word - black, Dalit, OBC, shudra, they all carry some meaning, it also connotes some identity".

Critics say there is a certain ambiguity in the Bombay High court's order. One line of the order said the government can issue "suitable directions" to the media to refrain from using the word. But another line said the ministry should "consider the question of issuing such direction to the media".

The ball had been set rolling this January by an order from the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Responding to a petition, the court had said there was "no doubt" that the word should not be used by the government, as it has not been mentioned in the Constitution.

Referring to the order, the Ministry of Social Justice issued a circular in March, saying all official communication by the Central and state governments should use the term "Scheduled Caste" or its translation.

On June 6, the Bombay High Court referred to this order by the ministry, suggesting that "suitable directions" should be issued to the press council and the media to this effect within 6 weeks - spurring the August 7 order by the government.