<keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> produced a mixed bag on April 4, including <keyword id="28781" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="jal">Jal</keyword>, a quasi-art house movie directed by debutant <keyword id="1019055" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Girish-Malik">Girish Malik</keyword>, <keyword id="2188072" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="David-Dhawan-directed">David Dhawan-directed</keyword> <keyword id="2188086" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rom-com-action-flick">rom-com-action flick</keyword> <keyword id="1622982" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Main-Tera-Hero">Main Tera Hero</keyword> and <keyword id="2179609" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ebn-E-Batuta">Ebn-E-Batuta</keyword>, a sci-fi overloaded with various issues and laced with humour. But true to the <keyword id="1282628" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood-tradition">Bollywood tradition</keyword>, the madcap entertainer <keyword id="57035" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MTH">MTH</keyword>, starring David’s son <keyword id="4928" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Varun">Varun</keyword> and the sizzling female leads <keyword id="88540" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ileana-DCruz">Ileana D’Cruz</keyword> and <keyword id="611054" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nargis-Fakri">Nargis Fakri</keyword>, has topped the <keyword id="1812427" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="box-office-chart">box office chart</keyword> this time. 
 
Main Tera Hero had an average start though, netting just Rs 6.6 crore at home on the opening Friday and recording 35-40% occupancy rate. But in spite of the cricket fever built around the India-Sri Lanka T20 World Cup final on Sunday, business picked up exceedingly well for the wild and whacky comedy flick and it netted a little over Rs 22 crore during the first weekend, as per industry estimates. It did moderately well on the crucial Day 4 (Monday, April 7) and collections at <keyword id="827271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Domestic-Box-Office">domestic box office</keyword> amounted to nearly Rs 4 crore, as per industry estimates. Although MTH is a <keyword id="87291" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="big-budget-movie">big budget movie</keyword> and cost around Rs 40 crore, the money would be recovered soon, going by <keyword id="112481" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ticket-sales">ticket sales</keyword>. The movie is produced by Shobha Kapoor and <keyword id="6354597" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ekta-Kapoor">Ekta Kapoor</keyword> for Balaji Motion Pictures. 
 
MTH is <keyword id="383666" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Varun-Dhawan">Varun Dhawan</keyword>’s second appearance in Bollywood – after <keyword id="2188068" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Karan-Johar-directed">Karan Johar-directed</keyword> commercial success <keyword id="549195" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Student-of-the-Year">Student of the Year</keyword>, which also starred <keyword id="1320874" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sidharth-Malhotra">Sidharth Malhotra</keyword> and <keyword id="6354526" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Alia-Bhatt">Alia Bhatt</keyword>. The movie raked in Rs 28-29 crore nett in the first weekend, considerably higher than what Main Tera Hero did in spite of some extensive <keyword id="2188097" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pre-release-hype">pre-release hype</keyword>. 
 Before we tell you what worked and didn’t work for this <keyword id="2188113" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="David-Dhawan-comedy">David Dhawan comedy</keyword>, let’s take a look at the <keyword id="2188098" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Box-office-performances">box office performances</keyword> of the other two releases. Purab Kohli-Tannishtha Chatterjee-Kirti Kulhari starrer Jal has a pertinent theme – it portrays the wild and water-starved <keyword id="80682" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rann-of-Kutch">Rann of Kutch</keyword> and its people locked in an eternal battle with their hostile surroundings. The movie has been criticised by many as a ‘festival’ flick while others vouch it is as commercial as can be. But either way, it has cut no ice with the domestic audience and reportedly grossed less than Rs 3 crore at home after the first weekend while fourth day collections stood at Rs 40-50 lakh. <keyword id="357845" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dar-Motion-Pictures">DAR Motion Pictures</keyword>, in collaboration with <keyword id="2188071" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="One-World-Films">One World Films</keyword>, released the movie across 385 screens, which means it is targeting a <keyword id="2188107" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Niche-audience">niche audience</keyword>. 
 
Ebn-E-Batuta, the third release of the week, also bombed the <keyword id="25892" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="box-office">box office</keyword>. The movie grossed some Rs 40-50 lakh on the first day, but the opening weekend numbers are yet to come in. Directed by <keyword id="2188109" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Varun-Middha">Varun Middha</keyword>, this one had an estimated budget of Rs 5 crore, but may follow the same fate as Jal. 
 
Coming back to Main Tera Hero, it is not difficult to understand what makes this movie so popular. This one provides a laughter riot – a mad concoction of romance, action and <keyword id="3769" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="David-Dhawan">David Dhawan</keyword>’s brand of none-too-subtle comedy. But the best thing to happen to us is the star son Varun Dhawan, lauded by most critics as the <keyword id="2188114" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Young-Govinda">Young Govinda</keyword>. It is a remake of the Telugu blockbuster <keyword id="471189" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kandireega">Kandireega</keyword> – telling the story of <keyword id="2180043" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sreenath-Prasad">Sreenath Prasad</keyword> or <keyword id="761791" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Seenu">Seenu</keyword> (Varun Dhawan). The problem kid comes to the big city to put his life in order, carries out his romantic escapades with two babes, <keyword id="2647" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sunaina">Sunaina</keyword> (Ileana D’Cruz) and <keyword id="173" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ayesha">Ayesha</keyword> (<keyword id="37518" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nargis-Fakhri">Nargis Fakhri</keyword>), gets into fisticuffs with Sunaina’s cop beau <keyword id="11572" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Angad">Angad</keyword> (<keyword id="34751" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arunoday-Singh">Arunoday Singh</keyword>) and gets entangled with Ayesha’s mafia dad <keyword id="19147" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="vikrant">Vikrant</keyword> (<keyword id="6533" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Anupam-Kher">Anupam Kher</keyword>) and his gang. What follows is pure mayhem, but all things are sorted out well in the traditional Bollywood style and true lovers unite at the journey’s end. Quite a hilarious flick if you are ready to put logic away for some time and go with the Bollywood flow. 
 
 
 
In stark contrast, Jal portrays a reality as harsh as the arid land of Kutch. Here we have <keyword id="2188122" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bakka">Bakka</keyword> (<keyword id="26929" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="purab-kohli">Purab Kohli</keyword>), who has the power of divining water spots (does it remind you of <keyword id="6361516" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nana-Patekar">Nana Patekar</keyword> in Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen?), his sweetheart <keyword id="32289" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="kesar">Kesar</keyword> (<keyword id="2349" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="kirti">Kirti</keyword>) hailing from a rival village and <keyword id="719919" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="animal-activist">animal activist</keyword> <keyword id="1158" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kim">Kim</keyword> (Saidah Jules). Kim is out to save the <keyword id="2188125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Water-starved-flamingos">water-starved flamingos</keyword>, but not too interested to help the clan living there. Set against a stark yet magnificent backdrop, Jal had all the elements to become an epic tale of love and treachery, hope and hopelessness, apathy and ardour. Instead, viewers are handed out a simplistic story that fails to follow the stream of life (in other words, water) from the past into the future, the way it goes with human history. But the movie is worth the watch because of its <keyword id="2188126" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Offbeat-theme">offbeat theme</keyword> while Purab Kohli literally sets the screen on fire. 
 
Ebn-E-Batuta may remind you of <keyword id="47027" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="James-Cameron">James Cameron</keyword>’s <keyword id="44111" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Avatar">Avatar</keyword>, but there the similarities end. In this <keyword id="2188127" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="India-made-sci-fi-flick">India-made sci-fi flick</keyword>, the <keyword id="77929" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="aliens">aliens</keyword> have invaded <keyword id="976816" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Planet-Earth">Planet Earth</keyword> to conquer it, but three <keyword id="343" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Friends">friends</keyword> (<keyword id="389953" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Omkar-Das-Manikpuri">Omkar Das Manikpuri</keyword>, <keyword id="2188128" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dev-Gohar">Dev Gohar</keyword> and <keyword id="2188131" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Satyendra-Khare">Satyendra Khare</keyword>) try and <keyword id="382268" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="leverage">leverage</keyword> the power of the <keyword id="2151868" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="extra-terrestrials">extra-terrestrials</keyword> for their own advancement. Some social issues and fun moments are also there, but this one hardly matches the Hollywood flicks in terms of special effects. Kids may still enjoy the movie but with <keyword id="1906261" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bhoothnath-Returns">Bhoothnath Returns</keyword> (starring <keyword id="6357912" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="amitabh-bachchan">Amitabh Bachchan</keyword>) hitting the theatres on April 11, Ebn-E-Batuta is not likely to enjoy much exposure at the box office during the second weekend. 
 
Images: Wikipedia

Box Office: Main Tera
Hero Tops The Chart But Jal Is Worth The Watch

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div>FBI</div>Boston bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are exactly the kind of immigrants Silicon Valley wants to hire, and is pushing Congress to legislate <keyword id="50403" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Immigration">immigration</keyword> reforms in favor of.
This is potentially a big problem for skilled immigrants looking to come to the U.S., or companies looking to hire skilled workers from overseas.
The older brother, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tamerlan-tsarnaev-boston-marathon-suspect-2013-4">Tamerlan</a> — who died during a police chase early Friday morning — studied engineering at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston and was a competitive boxer for a club called Team Lowell. Dzhokhar, the younger one, was a student at <a href="http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130419/NEWS/130419882">the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth</a> studying biology and honored as student athlete of the month, reported Natalie DiBlasio at USA Today. As a high school senior, <a href="http://www.cambridgema.gov/citynewsandpublications/news/2011/05/congratulations2011cityscholarshiprecipients.aspx">he won a scholarship from the city of Cambridge</a> for $2,500.
Educated in engineering and science — areas in which the U.S. has <a href="http://nms.org/Education/TheSTEMCrisis.aspx">fallen further behind</a> compared to the rest if the world — the Tsarnaev brothers emigrated into the U.S. from the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/us/massachusetts-bombers-profiles/index.html">central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan</a> and later attained green cards in the U.S. They fit the highly-skilled profile Mark Zuckerberg's group <a href="http://www.fwd.us/">FWD.us</a> is lobbying for.
Earlier this month, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-on-immigration-2013-4">Zuckerberg</a> wrote an <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mark-zuckerberg-immigrants-are-the-key-to-a-knowledge-economy/2013/04/10/aba05554-a20b-11e2-82bc-511538ae90a4_story.html">op-ed in the Washington Post</a> introducing <a href="http://www.fwd.us/">FWD.us</a>, aimed at fixing the country's "strange" policy, which Zuckerberg said is "unfit for today’s world." Facebook's CEO wrote:
This is, after all, the American story. My great-grandparents came through Ellis Island. My grandfathers were a mailman and a police officer. My parents are doctors. I started a company. None of this could have happened without a welcoming immigration policy, a great education system and the world’s leading scientific community that created the Internet.
Today’s students should have the same opportunities — but our current system blocks them.
Zuckerberg and <a href="http://www.fwd.us/our_supporters">other major players in Silicon Valley</a>, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Marissa Mayer of Yahoo!, and Eric Schmidt of Google, argue that Congress needs to streamline work visas and provide a more efficient pathway to citizenship for immigrants specializing in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Unfortunately, voting for immigration reforms couldn't have come at a worse time. Now those who oppose immigration have a very compelling reason to argue against reforms. 
Tharsan Bhuvanendran, director of engineering at Manhattan startup Totsy — and an immigrant from Sri Lanka — told us that these lawmakers can now use this as an excuse "to vote the way they want to." But he doesn't think that anyone's minds have been changed merely from the Boston bombing. 
"They already have their minds made up," Bhuvanendran, who is in the U.S. on a temporary status specifically available for highly-skilled workers, said.
During the first Congressional hearing Friday morning — hours after Boston's terrifying scene unraveled — Iowa Republican <a href="http://rt.com/usa/bombing-boston-immigration-bill-952/">Sen. Chuck </a><a href="http://rt.com/usa/bombing-boston-immigration-bill-952/">Grassley</a> made comments urging lawmakers to consider the two suspects' reported immigration status when voting in the following weeks.
"How do we ensure that people who wish to do us harm are not eligible for benefits under the immigration laws, including this new bill before us?" Grassley said.
But others, such as Alex Conant — a spokesman for <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/19/rubio-spokesman-says-bombings-shouldnt-be-used-to-make-political-points/">Florida Senator Marco Rubio — urged that we shouldn't use "the situation in Boston"</a> as a "tragedy to make political points."
Michael Wildes, immigration attorney at Wildes &amp; Weinberg P.C. law offices, said lawmakers should not link the Tsarnaev brothers to the millions of immigrants waiting for legal status in this country. "We should never be a reflective democracy otherwise there will 11 million people here and our children will be facing the same problems," he told us. "If we look at the state of Israel and other exemplary nations, we should make sure that despite terrorism, we shouldn't lose faith or lose our stride in trying to fix our broken laws."
Below are the current caps for different types of workers who can enter the U.S. annually:
<table class="image-container" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"></div><a href="http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/CIRbrief-BackofLine.pdf">Migration Policy</a></td></tr></table>
According to Wildes, the Boston Bombing is a just an excuse for Congress to get out of having to make a tough decision that's been at the forefront of debate for decades. "The silence in Washington right now is unacceptable in <keyword id="124780" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="immigration-reform">immigration reform</keyword>. They might as well say they aren't prepared."

Boston Marathon Bombing Could Hurt Silicon Valley's Push For More Skilled Immigration

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Many young people have turned to <keyword id="11894125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword> and <keyword id="11894124" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="youtube" source="Orion">YouTube</keyword> to understand the <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> conflict. </li><li>"I just want foreigners to see ... how people in Ukraine feel right now," said one YouTuber.</li></ul>Travel vlogger Johnny Jen has lived all over the world. Scrolling through his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnnyFD">YouTube timeline</a>, you'll see videos of him on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYEKscV0H5g">party bus in Lithuania</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-v_28M-xYk">relaxing on a beach in Turkey</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If-VK0bBOEA">climbing mountains in Sri Lanka</a>. But a few weeks ago, Jen's vlogs began to document his chaotic and dangerous journey fleeing Ukraine on a train. Originally from San Diego, California, Jen had been living in Ukraine for almost a year, making videos as he explored <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMDorm6dunQ">the country's food</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3S096awb4">culture</a>. When <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-russia-is-attacking-ukraine-putin-justification-for-invasion-2022-2?r=US&amp;IR=T">Russia invaded Ukraine</a> in February, Jen decided to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mjPy7ROLYs&amp;t=62s">vlog his journey</a> from Kyiv to Hungary, showing his 230,000 subscribers how frantic the situation was from his perspective. Like Jen, many content creators in Ukraine have continued to post lifestyle content, adapting it to the unfolding situation of war. Luxury house tours have turned into filming temporary bomb shelters, and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyWDEhuE90k">"Day in my life" video format</a>, where influencers would usually film themselves drinking smoothies and attending red carpet events, now involves <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dzvnks/video/7070133323741302021?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESPgo8YU%2F1k08dh%2FSS8zhh9bcMXEhx2nOEWONIFU4qbvHI18JnJg%2Fzw1b7sxZrW%2Fj%2FsT0LxakRtfBKQ2sydakdGgA%3D&amp;_r=1&amp;checksum=98151cb236ff6c75635778992a26ffbd73737a66ff28b53af21a48f02955dddf&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;language=uk&amp;sec_uid=MS4wLjABAAAAEh12mQua16EaOvmiFdOZv6OHByKYTPL_fteCRe0Oo_TFvYhaFiUBimygTvW82PBq&amp;sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAEh12mQua16EaOvmiFdOZv6OHByKYTPL_fteCRe0Oo_TFvYhaFiUBimygTvW82PBq&amp;share_app_id=1233&amp;share_author_id=6775169056271401989&amp;share_link_id=14940BF6-65D5-406D-8444-72FCBD7B17B6&amp;source=h5_m&amp;tt_from=copy&amp;u_code=da3gg0a5ea330c&amp;user_id=6775169056271401989&amp;utm_campaign=client_share&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy">volunteering with humanitarian aid organizations and staying inside to avoid missiles</a>. Just weeks ago, 20-year-old Valeria Shashenok was posting behind-the-scenes TikToks from her frequent fashion photography shoots. But these days, Shashenok is sharing what life is like in her temporary bomb shelter home.One of her recent TikToks features a reimagined version of the "<a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/things-that-just-make-sense">Things In My House That Just Make Sense" TikTok trend</a> where users share parts of their home while Louis Prima's cheery Italian song "Che La Luna" plays in the background.Here, however, she takes viewers on a tour around the bomb shelter, before going above ground to show destroyed buildings in the neighborhood. "Living my best life. Thanks, Russia!" she wrote in her video caption. As Russia's invasion of Ukraine heads into its first month and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/15/1086705796/russian-propaganda-war-in-ukraine">traditional news sources contend with ongoing disinformation campaigns</a>, many are turning to first-person social media accounts to help make sense of the conflict. Shashenok — whose "Things in My House" TikTok garnered more than 41 million views — and other 20-something creators, offers an up-close look at the ongoing confusion and devastation in Ukraine and provides an eye-opening glimpse at what life is like for so many young people during the war. <h2>Creators turn to humor to cope with the devastation </h2>Former travel blogger Alina Volik used to share TikTok videos of her glamorous vacations around the world with her 76,000 followers. These days, Volik uses the platform to post updates about life under siege. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@alina__volik/video/7072498299156155654?is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1">In one video</a>, she describes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the country's "psychotherapist" and says the "entertainment of the day" is visiting supermarkets with empty shelves. "Humor is a weapon that helps us bond with one another," the 18-year-old told Insider. "TikTok is a place for me to relate to other Ukrainians, and when I watch other creators' funny videos, I feel like I'm not alone."<div type="image" title="A picture of Alina wearing a coat in Kyiv." height="1490" width="1242" msid="90307499" hostid="261"></div>Liza Lysova, 17, garnered a million views on a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@whereislizzyy/video/7068176765411134726?is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1">TikTok</a> where she filmed herself smiling and doing a TikTok dance with an on-screen caption that read, "When you woke up at 5 am to the sounds of explosions and everything trembling and realize that Russia declared war on Ukraine."She told Insider: "I think others, as well as myself, are coping with stress by using humor." <h2>'I want Ukraine to stay in people's minds, so I found the way to do that is to make lifestyle videos to show people what's going on in a more palatable way'</h2>Jen says he's also trying to keep his videos "lighthearted."In his video, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mjPy7ROLYs&amp;t=62s">"Chaos trying to flee Ukraine,"</a> posted on March 2, Jen — who has been posting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y75KypoAZZE&amp;ab_channel=JohnnyFD">travel content for more than eight years</a> — found himself trying to stay calm as people crowded into train stations to leave the country. "I filmed the video in the same style as I normally would, trying to keep things lighthearted, but the actual event was very tragic," he told Insider. <div type="image" title="A picture of Jen holding his camera to his face in a train station." height="1544" width="2828" msid="90307500" hostid="261"></div>He said he deliberately films a mixture of fun and political content in his Ukraine vlogs, which include clips of him drinking liquor and chatting to friends as well as clips from Ukrainian protests, because, "I know that if I make it too serious, some people will just click off and get tired of it.""I want Ukraine to stay in people's minds. I found the way to do that is to make lifestyle videos to show people what's going on in a more palatable way," he continued. That notion also seemingly inspired <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTATkyWul73umjJIjzC7YEA">Ukrainian YouTuber Olga Reznikova.</a> Reznikova, from Kyiv, used the platform to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6VGw7YiHdQ&amp;t=10s">film herself driving from Ukraine to Poland</a> with her two children. When she arrived, she posted a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3fl7UG0ZGo">vlog</a> showing her 266,000 subscribers what an average day looks like for her now. In it, Reznikova fries onions and mushrooms while TV <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> about the ruined homes and streets in Ukraine blares in the background.Reznikova told Insider that even though people watching the news about Ukraine will likely only see clips of destruction, her vlogs aim to show people her "everyday normal life," which still involves doing chores and looking after her kids.<h2>Social media resonates particularly among young audiences, who value its 'authenticity'</h2>Reznikova said that while the news tends to present "only facts," YouTube allows her to share a mixture of factual information and personal experience. She says many of her videos are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crizuDwzBvs">educational</a>, aiming to explain to viewers why the conflict has unfolded, while others depict <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JldwGSpqwY">her life</a> and opinions. <div type="image" title="A picture of Reznikova filming her face as she walks through a car park in Ukraine." height="1524" width="2772" msid="90307502" hostid="261"></div>She also said she thinks vlogging can feel more relatable than television news because vloggers like her listen to their audience's request. "We can show them what they're asking about, so they understand what's going on. TV channels don't always have such direct feedback in the same way as we get comments on YouTube," she said. Jen agreed this could be why his vlogs are an appealing source of information, saying he always films and speaks directly from his own experience. "I definitely don't want to jump on the bandwagon of the news cycle. I'll only share what I'm seeing around me, and that's what keeps it authentic." He said he was inspired by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbHgKnzIEFg">YouTubers who went to Afghanistan</a> in recent years whose vlogs were a "time capsule of what life was like" before the Taliban's invasion. "Even though YouTube is primarily for entertainment, it's also an important part of history," he said. YouTube and TikTok have already started to "replace traditional media and the news," Jen said, particularly among younger people. That's a sentiment that's supported by a <a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-02/FlamingoxREUTERS-Report-Full-KG-V28.pdf">2019 Reuters Institute study,</a> which found that people under 35 years old think "traditional news media no longer seems as relevant or as dominant when it comes to news content," compared to social media. "Traditional news brands see news as: what you should know. — Young audiences see news as: what you should know (to an extent), but also what is useful to know, what is interesting to know, and what is fun to know," the study said. University of Oregon journalism professor Damian Radcliffe agreed, saying that these videos automatically feel "more informal and less stuffy" than the formats typically adopted on broadcast, print, and online news outlets."That's going to resonate with some audiences, especially younger demographics, who value the authenticity and slightly more 'raw' feel these videos can have," he said. Volik, the TikToker who has been creating humorous content about Ukraine, told Insider that she receives messages from viewers every day, thanking her for her take on the war. "They tell me that I'm so brave to share my story and to talk about it. I just want foreigners to see, through my videos, how people in Ukraine feel right now."

People are turning to TikTok and YouTube for 'authentic' first-hand accounts of Ukrainians fleeing conflict and life during wartime

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Jianan Yu/Reuters</div></div></div><ul><li>China's money printing industry is running at "full steam" for foreign clients including Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, Brazil and Poland, according to reports.</li><li>The printing is linked to China's Belt and Road Initiative which has seen China build infrastructure and invest in around 60 countries from Europe, Asia, and Africa.</li><li>"A nation must have considerable trust in the Chinese government to allow it to print its banknotes," Hu Xingdou, a professor of economics at the Beijing Institute of Technology told the South China Morning Post.</li><li>Beijing has been concerned that its enemies could use fake notes to disrupt its economy and has viewed the money printing capability as important as its atomic bomb programme.</li></ul>China is printing more foreign money as it seeks to expand its influence on the global economy.Money printing plants across the country are running at close to full capacity to meet an unusually high quota set by the government this year, multiple sources from the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2158782/why-other-countries-are-giving-china-licence-print-money">told the South China Morning Post.</a>Chinese yuan notes made up "a small proportion of the orders," with most of the demand coming from foreign countries participating in China's Belt and Road Initiative, one source who asked not to be named told the South China Morning Post.Until recently China did not print foreign currency at all, but in 2013 Beijing launched the Belt and Road Initiative, a plan that seeks to stimulate economic growth in around 60 countries from Europe, Africa and Asia through investment and infrastructure projects.Two years later China began printing money for Nepal, and today foreign customers of China's industry now also reportedly include Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, Brazil and Poland and possibly many others that have not yet been disclosed, a source in the corporation said.The state owned China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation corporation which is headquartered in Beijing's Xicheng district describes itself as the world's largest money printer by scale with 18,000 employees and 10 plants for printing paper notes and coins.In comparison to its US counterpart, the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing employs less than 2,000 people.China's attitude towards printing currency marks a change from previous low demand for printing as Chinese citizens have turned to using their phones rather then cash.Hu Xingdou, a professor of economics at the Beijing Institute of Technology told the South China Morning Post that a nation must have considerable trust in the Chinese government to allow it to print its banknotes."The world economic landscape is undergoing some profound changes. As China becomes bigger and more powerful, it will challenge the value system established by the West. Printing money for other countries is an important step," Xingdou said."Currency is a symbol of a country's sovereignty. This business helps build trust and even monetary alliances."Leverage over currency can also be a powerful weapon. During the destruction of Libya and Muammar Gaddafi by the West seven years ago, the British government seized $1.5 billion Libyan dinars originally produced for the the dictator by British currency printer De La Rue, which sparked shortages in the country and put pressure on the regime.Beijing has been concerned that its enemies could use fake notes to disrupt its economy and has viewed the money printing capability being as important as it's atomic bomb programme. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chase-cards-ceo-on-her-success-and-working-with-jamie-dimon-2018-7">The Chase Cards CEO on working with Jamie Dimon and her own success</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

China is printing foreign money at 'full steam' as it tries to expand its influence on the global economy

<ul><li>The Chinese government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis, added to the economic decline, has brought out many dissenters within the country. And now, there is the fear of the bubonic plague. </li><li>It is no wonder that President Xi is provoking rival nations across land borders and seas, trying to drum up some nationalism to distract people from his deficiencies.</li><li>Imperialists from Britain and America have sought out war as a catalyst for economic growth— profiting from the cost of rebuilding what they destroyed in the first place.</li><li>China may be entering a similar phase in economic development and adopting a similar strategy. It is for the world leaders to stop a full-blown conflict.</li></ul>From the 19th century Europe, when the Rothschild family built a financial empire on the ruins of many wars, to World War-II, from the Japanese and Korean wars to the Cold War and beyond⁠, the faith in war as a source of economic growth has survived many social, political, economic and technological revolutions. The invisible loss of priceless human life, and the eternal scars they leave behind, have never been accounted for by those who are blinded by the glitter of oncoming wealth. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76438507" title="The next few days are going to be stormy for India and China say a former diplomat and retired lieutenant general" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Xi Jinping may benefit from any outcome in a conflict between China and India, or any other country It would, then, hardly be a surprise if another aspiring hegemon, Xi Jinping, pushes the People's Liberation Army to exchange a few bombs with another keen country. In return he would expect a few more years of reverence from his people, unbridled power, may be more indebted colonies. His handling of the COVID-19 crisis, added to the economic decline in China, has brought out many dissenters within the country. It is no wonder that he is flexing his muscles and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/not-only-india-hong-kong-taiwan-vietnam-and-japan-also-facing-chinese-army-aggression-on-border-issue/slidelist/76418800.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">provoking rival nations like India and Taiwan across land borders and seas</a>. And now, there is a fear of a bubonic plague. ALSO READ: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/chinese-city-sounds-alert-for-bubonic-plague/articleshow/76807488.cms">Chinese city sounds alert for bubonic plague</a><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/chinese-city-sounds-alert-for-bubonic-plague/articleshow/76807488.cms"></a> At the least, drumming up nationalism within China will distract people from the government's deficiencies. At worst, a full blown conflict, with all the military might built up over the years, will allow Beijing to assert itself as a superpower on someone else's land, much in the same way as the Western powers did as their domestic economies in the industrial era matured. "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it"— a quote from the blockbuster movie Kung Fu Panda Philosopher Slavoj Zizek⁠— known for his critical analysis of both capitalism and communism⁠— has often quipped how the Communist Party of China used two tools that an orthodox Marxist would hate ⁠— market economy and state authoritarianism ⁠— to successfully pull off an unmatched economic miracle in human history. Almost everyone, whether they like China and its rulers or not, had naively hoped that China’s experiment with capitalism, however checked, would eventually lead to the emergence of democratic values. Even the journalist and author Martin Jacques, who seems awed by the Chinese way of ‘getting things done’, did not rule out the possibility that the people of China will rebel against the autocrats at some point in history. <div type="Youtube" id="2AGjwTRX5KQ" title="Martin Jacques and Shashi Tharoor discuss China and India" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2AGjwTRX5KQ/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The Chinese people have largely been mute spectators as Xi accumulated power In recent years, Xi and friends gave him an indefinite term as the country’s President, sucked the freedom out of the internet, kept the Uyghur Muslims in detention camps, and watched the people of Hong Kong tirelessly try to tear away from the mainland’s influence, a lot more than what geography would allow. None of it has inspired the people of China enough to act as the conscience keepers for those running the government. <div type="image" title="APTOPIX Hong Kong Protests" msid="76454517" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Riot police detain a protester during a demonstration against Beijing&amp;#39;s national security legislation in Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, Sunday, May 24, 2020. Hong Kong police fired volleys of tear gas in a popular shopping district as hundreds took to the streets Sunday to march against China&amp;#39;s proposed tough national security legislation for the city.Photo/Vincent Yu)&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Mainland China has not seen a significant uprising since <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/15/world/asia/tiananmen-square-fast-facts/index.html">the Tiananmen protests of 1989</a>. It didn’t because, in the same time, the GDP (gross domestic product) per capita went from $300 to nearly $10,000, millions out were lifted out of poverty, standards of living improved to a point were the idea of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/05/more-than-a-third-of-chinese-millionaires-want-to-leave-china.html">crazy rich Asians</a> was reasonable, world-class infrastructure got built, the Olympics were hosted and, in general, there was a lot to feel good about. The end of the miracle The ‘feel good’ started fizzling out in the last decade as the rising debt⁠— both at the level of the state and the corporate⁠s— forced a fall in public investment. Since then, the debt has risen, and how! China’s total domestic debt was 317% of the country’s GDP at the end of March 2020. And the recession post the global financial crisis made it less viable for China— famous as the factory to the world— to rely on exports as global demand fell sharply first and, then, crawled back. It had to push its own people had to start consuming more of the stuff they made. However, the shift from manufacturing-led economy to one where services contributed more didn't pan out the way Xi planned. The COVID-19 pandemic may further delay the growth of services in China⁠— the jury is out on the future of restaurants, travel, tourism, and hospitality to name a few sectors ⁠— even further. <div type="image" title="china private consumption" msid="76454533" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Private consumption in China didn&amp;#39;t quite takeoff the government wanted it to.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> However, like in India, the Chinese culture encourages savings. Being penny wise is a badge of honour that the people in China have been less keen to lose. The economic crisis triggered by coronavirus would make them as cautious as the people in the rest of the world, if not more. Xi Jinping needs to keep China’s economic engine humming to create jobs. And he needs more people to work and generate wealth to support the rising population of the aged. <div type="image" title="china working age population" msid="76454543" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;China&amp;#39;s working age population has been constantly declining since 2011&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The average Chinese complied with the state tyranny as long it paid rich dividends. Now it doesn’t and the signs of dissent are visible. Recently, an influential Communist Party member, Ren Zhiqiang, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/chinese-tycoon-missing-after-criticizing-coronavirus-response/a-52780850">went missing after calling President Xi Jinping a "clown"</a> over his handling of the COVID-19 outbreak. And Xi is running out of ideas. He can’t rely on exports because whatever potential was left in global trade, the COVID-19 has slammed the brakes on it. Domestic consumption in China will not rise if people do not make money and feel confident about the future. COVID-19 has left people only with anxiety. China is using an old playbook that Britain and America have overused in the past Industrial countries like Britain and America, as they started maturing, had to go far from their own borders to import economic growth at the expense of colonies, and sometimes via direct wars, or proxy wars, in the twentieth century. Many argue that China has already <a href="https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/belt-and-road-colonialism-chinese-characteristics">colonised many countries like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and many nations in Africa</a> with debt disguised as investments or development aid. An Institute of International Finance report published in May 2020 <a href="https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3084979/china-debt-how-big-it-who-owns-it-and-what-next" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">suggested</a> that China is now the world’s largest lender to low-income countries⁠— it went up from $875 billion in 2004 to over $5.5 trillion in 2019. Slowing economy at home, and rising debt, doesn’t leave Beijing with a lot of room to do more favours. It has to rely on fear to retain its halo in the region and on the global stage. Much like the loan sharks on the street. A house of cards Meanwhile, China was quick to claim a fast recovery from coronavirus pandemic but the second wave hit Beijing soon. A recent Caixin investigation showed how hollow the recovery in China. Official order mandated that factories must restart but the operators couldn’t tell authorities that there aren’t any inputs to restart production. But they knew that a factory's output is measured by the <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Caixin/Lights-go-on-but-no-one-goes-to-work">amount of electricity spent</a> and, hence, the next few days the machines and air conditioners were left running without any real output. This might help fudging the factory output data or the GDP rate but the people on ground will hear the noise of an empty barrel better than foreign economists and ratings agencies. And people are infamous for losing patience fast when the future looks bleak. The clash with India and the tantrums in South China sea may be distractions for now but Xi can escalate at will A dictator feeling the heat from within, and hate from outside, may have to inject some nationalism to distract attention from himself. The easiest way to establish an enemy and it could be anyone India, Japan, America, Taiwan, or any country that chooses to retaliate. <div type="image" title="Prime Minister Narendra Modi" msid="76454694" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded to the India-China clash in Galwan valley in Ladakh that ended in 20 soldiers losing their lives.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> There may be money to be made for the makers of guns and fighter jets, the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399295/">lords of war</a> (the middlemen in arms deals), oil giants and traders, money lenders, gold merchants, and infrastructure behemoths who get to rebuild countries bombed during the battle, to name a few. The potential for damage, seen and unseen, accounted and unaccounted, is a lot more than dollars can measure. The conscience keepers within China were forced out long back The Communist Party of China has been famous for its ability to control its leaders. However, Xi Jinping has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-41670162">cleaned out the party and the Politburo</a> of those who could act as conscience keepers and made it a coterie of supporters who let him become ‘President for life’. The wise elders, if there were any, would know that a country with an aging population has a lot more to lose by sending its depleting lot of young people to war. It is for the world leaders to rein in the President Xi from causing a louder explosion outside to drown out the implosion within. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/bizarre-change-in-the-tone-of-chinese-media-shows-how-china-has-been-blowing-smoke/articleshow/76444767.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Talking through the hat⁠ — the bizarre change in the tone of Chinese media</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/amid-indo-china-tensions-nepal-passes-new-map-bill-in-the-upper-house-showing-parts-of-india-as-its-own-territory/articleshow/76442175.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Nepal's new map is eating into India to please China</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/difference-between-india-and-china-military-expenses-soldiers-number-aircrafts-tanks-and-missiles/articleshow/76421399.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">The strength of India and China’s defence forces compared</a>

Xi Jinping’s China seems to be coming of age the same way as Western imperialists

A few days ago, the <keyword id="2797629" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Institute-of-Health-Metrics">Institute of Health Metrics</keyword> and Evaluation (IHME), a US-based research institute, published a report on the global prevalence of <keyword id="6355291" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cancer">cancer</keyword>. The <a href="http://www.healthdata.org/news-release/increase-lifestyle-related-cancers-over-past-decade-spotlights-critical-need-prevention">report </a>found a large disparity between the incidence rates of cancer among developed and developing countries. The countries with the highest rates of cancer were Australia and New Zealand, with 743.8 and 542.8 new cases of cancer per 100,000 people in 2016. They were followed by the US, with 532.9 cases. Over 17.2 million cases of cancer were reported worldwide in 2016. More notably, the IHME’s analysis indicated that <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> ranked tenth among the countries with the lowest rate of cancer incidence in the world - with only 106.6 new cancer cases in 2016 for 100,000 members of its population. India was outranked by its regional neighbours - Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka - all of which boasted of lower cancer rates. These findings beg the question. For a country with such a large population, how are India’s rates of cancer so low? Is it an issue of genetics? Or is there something intrinsic to the Indian diet like turmeric that makes us less prone to cancer? It’s an issue of <keyword id="6355729" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="data">data</keyword> reporting Interestingly, the list of countries with the lowest rate of cancer was topped by Syria, which had only 85 cases per 100,000 members of its population. Well, when you’re faced with the threat of being bombed on a regular basis, going to the doctor or reporting your cancer diagnosis seems like less of an urgency, doesn’t it? The fact that Syria tops the list could indicate why India even made the top 10 to begin with. The reporting of cancer cases in India leaves a lot to be desired. While we have <a href="http://ncdirindia.org/NCRP/index.aspx">a national cancer registry</a>, its most recent data seems to be from 2014. Further still, according to Dr Ajay Sharma, a New Delhi-based oncologist, record-keeping in hospitals, especially in smaller towns, is not upto the mark. “Data isn’t collated properly and as a result, a lot of India’s cancer cases aren’t reported,” Sharma says. Dr Sarika Gupta, a women’s cancer specialist at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, also disagreed with the IHME’s assessment of India. “We have the third-highest rate of female cancer cases in the world after China and the US,” Gupta says. She also added that the symptoms in more than half of India’s cancer patients go undetected due to a shortage of adequate <keyword id="6370536" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="screening">screening</keyword> technology in rural or underdeveloped areas, or worse, a lack of awareness about the disease itself. According to <a href="http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY-Call-for-action-expanding-cancer-care-in-india/$FILE/EY-Call-for-action-expanding-cancer-care-in-india.pdf">a report by Ernst and Young</a> in 2015, there were only 2,700 mammograms, a breast cancer screening device, in India at the time - a fraction of the total number in the US. More surprisingly, there were only 120 PET-CT scanners, most of which were in Tier-1 cities. A larger problem In addition to causing the under-reporting of cases, the lack of awareness about the disease translates into higher death rates. According to a study published in Lancet, a medical journal, in 2014, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/indias-cancer-cases-far-lower-than-those-in-the-west-yet-death-rate-higher/articleshow/62550136.cms">around 70% of India’s cancer cases</a> lead to death due to lack of medical resources as well as the fact that most people don’t seek medical treatment until the late-stage symptoms start manifesting themselves. The EY report found that while the cancer incidence rate in India was estimated to be at 94 cases per 100,000 people, the actual rate was somewhere between 150-200 cases due to the deficiencies in data collection and screening. It isn’t far-fetched to think that the reporting and detection problems experienced in India could also be seen in other developing countries. Hence, it feels incorrect to assume people in richer, developed countries are more prone to contracting cancer. They just have more avenues to detect it and these countries have the systems in place to report and collect this data.

No, India’s rate of cancer incidence isn’t among the lowest in the world

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Dinuka LiyanawatteMembers from Sri Lankan military march wth national flags during Sri Lanka's 68th Independence day celebrations in Colombo, February 4, 2016</div></div></div>Good morning! Here's what you need to know.Terrorists struck Turkey. At least 28 people were killed and 61 wounded after a car bomb exploded outside a military residence in Turkey's capital of Ankara on Wednesday, Turkey's deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmus, <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronstein1/status/700037792353669120">said</a> in a press conference following the attack.Saudi Arabia was downgraded. For the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sp-downgrades-saudi-arabia-debt-rating-2015-10">second time in four months</a> ratings agency S&amp;P has downgraded Saudi Arabia's debt rating. S&amp;P <a href="https://www.standardandpoors.com/en_US/web/guest/article/-/view/type/HTML/id/1579327">cut its rating</a> on Saudi Arabia's debt to 'A-/A-2' from 'A+/A-1.'Chinese inflation increased. Consumer price inflation was up 1.8% in China in the 12 months to January, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/this-inflation-data-is-the-closest-weve-seen-to-good-news-from-china-for-a-while-2016-2">the fastest rise since August 2015. </a>A Canadian jet maker is cutting its workforce. Canadian plane and train maker Bombardier said it will reduce its workforce by about 7,000 employees over the next two years, while ramping up hiring to support<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/this-inflation-data-is-the-closest-weve-seen-to-good-news-from-china-for-a-while-2016-2"> production of its CSeries commercial jets.</a>Iran isn't playing ball over oil production. Iran said it would resist any plan to restrain its oil output as fellow OPEC ministers tried to persuade the country to join the first global oil pact in 15 years.The US got a housing setback. US housing starts unexpectedly fell in January likely as bad weather disrupted building projects in some parts of the country, in what could be a setback<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-us-housing-starts-building-permits-fall-in-january-2016-2"> for the housing industry.</a>The WHO needs cash to fight Zika. The World Health Organization for $56 million for its plan to combat the Zika virus, a disease that has been linked to severe birth defects in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-who-seeks-56-million-for-zika-vaccine-hopes-take-step-forward-2016-2">Brazil and has spread to 39 countries.</a>HSBC changed its pay guidelines. Most managers at HSBC's <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> retail and wealth unit will not be getting a pay rise this year in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-hsbc-effectively-scraps-pay-rise-for-managers-at-uk-retail-bank-source-2016-2">what marks the bank's third change to pay policy in as many weeks.</a>There is a nuclear clue in the probe into the Paris attacks. Belgian investigators searching houses linked to suspects in the Islamist militant attack on Paris in November found a video tracking movements of a man<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-belgium-find-video-of-nuclear-official-in-search-for-paris-attack-clues-2016-2"> linked to the country's nuclear industry, prosecutors said.</a>AmEx is cutting costs. American Express said it would overhaul its management, streamline its marketing operations and cut jobs as it looks to reduce <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-amex-to-overhaul-management-cut-jobs-2016-2">$1 billion in costs over the next two years.</a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/daymond-john-strategy-shark-tank-deal-2015-11">Here's how Shark Tank's Daymond John beats out the other Sharks to score a deal</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="8zbGJyeDqhP5VKvP70bK9Outp7KWuCtR" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

10 things you need to know before European markets open

<ul><li><keyword id="6367091" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="petrol">Petrol</keyword> and diesel prices reached an all-time high in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> this morning. </li><li>Not only is this a result of the rise in global <keyword id="6359072" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="oil">oil</keyword> prices, which are nearing $80 a barrel, but also because of the Indian <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword>’s <keyword id="6356916" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="excise-duty">excise duty</keyword> hikes. </li><li>Excise duties and value-added taxes currently comprise over 50% and 40% of the price of petrol and diesel, respectively. </li></ul> Paid a bomb for fuel today? After a three-week pause in the build-up to the Karnataka elections, fuel prices in India reached <a href="https://www.iocl.com/TotalProductList.aspx">a record high</a> this morning after increasing for eight consecutive days. In Delhi, petrol and diesel cost ₹76.87 per litre and ₹68.08 per litre, respectively - a 10% plus rise from the beginning of 2018. The highest fuel prices in the country were seen in Mumbai, where petrol is being sold for ₹84.70 per litre, while diesel costs ₹72.48 per litre. Since June last year, India has had a dynamic pricing regime, wherein fuel prices change on a daily basis in response to the global market. This alarming spike, however, begs the question. Why are fuel prices in India so high? Firstly, global oil prices are rising, <a href="https://oilprice.com/">nearing $80</a> a barrel amid curbs in production by OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) countries like Saudi Arabia. However, if this were the only reason, then countries that import oil from India, like <a href="http://ceypetco.gov.lk/marketing-sales/">Sri Lanka</a>, where petrol is currently ₹59 a litre, and Bangladesh, where petrol is <a href="http://www.bpc.gov.bd/contactus.php?id=39">₹69 a litre</a>, would have similar (if not higher) fuel prices. In addition to the global price of crude oil that is borne by distributors, fuel prices in India are composed of excise duty, which is collected by the central government, and value-added tax, which goes to state governments. The higher fuel prices are a direct result of the central government’s taxation and excise policy on petrol and diesel. Since taking over the Centre in 2014, the BJP-led government has hiked excise duties on fuel more than 10 times. It bears mentioning, however, that there have been no hikes this year though global oil prices have risen. Since the initial part of the BJP’s stint coincided with a sharp reduction in global oil prices, it imposed higher duties on customers in order to increase its revenues. As a result, consumers did not benefit from lower oil prices. Despite the price of Brent crude oil plummeting from <a href="https://oilprice.com/oil-price-charts">$102 a barrel </a>in July 2014 to $34 in early 2016, the price of petrol in Delhi only fell from <a href="https://www.iocl.com/Product_PreviousPrice/PetrolPreviousPriceDynamic.aspx">₹73.6 per litre</a> in July 2014 to a low of ₹56.6 by March 2016. From an excise duty of ₹9.20 a litre on unbranded petrol in November 2014, excise duties currently stand at ₹19.48 per litre. Meanwhile, the excise duty on diesel has risen from ₹3.55 a litre in November 2014 to a current level of ₹15.33. Thus, excise duties comprise roughly 25% of the purchase price of fuel today. Including VAT, the proportion comes to <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/petrol-diesel-prices-hit-highest-level/article23957119.ece">more than 50% in the case of petrol and over 40% for diesel. </a> A correction is necessary High fuel prices affect everyone. They significantly increase your transportation expenses and reduce your disposable income. They increase the costs of transporting goods for companies, which leads to higher product prices. They lead to higher airfare. Even if you don’t own a car, you end up paying higher for transport. The government is likely aware that higher fuel prices and the resulting contraction in demand and investment will weigh on economic growth. Hence, it needs to act decisively. Earlier this week, India’s Oil Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, told reporters that the government was <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/alternatives-being-explored-to-check-fuel-prices-oil-minister/articleshow/64253207.cms?&amp;utm_source=Articleshow&amp;utm_medium=Organic&amp;utm_campaign=Related_Stories">exploring measures to reduce fuel prices </a>but he gave no details on what these measures were. Since the government has no control over international oil prices, it seems that the only option at its disposal could be to reduce either the duties or value-added taxes on fuel. Another measure involves scrapping duties and value-added taxes entirely and bringing fuel products under the GST regime - something that has been proposed by a number of experts as well <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/ficci-for-urgent-excise-duty-cuts-on-fuel-as-transport-oil-prices-cross-previous-highs-in-delhi/1175293/">as the FICCI,</a> an industry association. Even the highest tax rate of 28% for luxury products would result in lower prices. Any measures, however, will entail a reduction in government revenues. But it will be worth the boost to aggregate demand.

Here’s why fuel prices in India are at a record high

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Dinuka LiyanawatteA newly ordained Buddhist monk attends a ceremony of Upasampada, a Buddhist rite of higher ordination by which a novice becomes a monk, or bhikhu, at a Buddhist temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka June 16, 2016.</div></div></div>Hello! Here's what you need to know on Friday.1. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/breaking-news-jo-cox-has-been-shot-and-stabbed-2016-6">British Labour party MP Jo Cox has died after being shot and stabbed on the street in Birstall, Yorkshire</a>. Cox was a 41-year-old mother of two who won her seat in the 2015 general election.2. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tommy-mair-jo-cox-death-2016-6">The man arrested in connection with the death of UK politician Jo Cox has been named by multiple news reports as Thomas Mair, 52 years old</a>. The assailant reportedly shouted "Britain first" during the attack.3. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/state-department-officials-call-for-airstrikes-on-assad-2016-6">Dozens of US State Department officials have revolted against President Barack Obama's Syria policy</a>. They are calling for US airstrikes on the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.4. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/looks-like-salesforce-was-in-a-bidding-war-for-linkedin-with-microsoft-2016-6">It looks like Salesforce was also interested in buying LinkedIn</a>. Microsoft paid $26.2 billion to acquire LinkedIn this week.5. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bernie-sanders-stays-in-race-hints-dropping-out-2016-6">US Senator Bernie Sanders hinted that he may soon officially drop out of the Democratic presidential primary</a>. In a video address to supporters on Thursday, Sanders emphasized that he is prepared to help defeat presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.6. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marshall-islands-nuclear-bombs-radiation-2016-6">Radiation levels in some areas of the Marshall Islands are almost double what is deemed safe for human habitation, according to a new study</a>. The US tested 67 nuclear weapons on the tiny country between 1946 and 1958.7. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-gathering-historical-proof-overseas-of-south-china-sea-claim-2016-6">China has been gathering historical "proof" overseas to back its claim to the South China Sea</a>. China has long argued that historical documents prove the legitimacy of its claim to the South China Sea.8. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-obama-to-seek-healing-in-orlando-even-as-politicians-spar-2016-6">US President Barack Obama called for healing and met with victims' families in Orlando, Florida</a>. Obama claimed a threat to all Americans' security as a strong reason to tighten US gun laws.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donors-break-record-raising-funds-for-orlando-2016-6"></a>9. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-russia-bombing-us-backed-rebels-in-syria-us-official-2016-6">Russia bombed US-backed fighters in southern Syria, raising "serious concern,"</a> according to a US official.10. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tickets-for-the-nba-finals-game-7-are-going-for-unreal-prices-2016-6">Tickets for the NBA Finals Game 7 are going for unreal prices</a>. VIP courtside seats at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California are selling for $52,000 each on StubHub.And finally ...<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/whos-going-to-die-next-in-game-of-thrones-odds-2016-6">The 11 'Game of Thrones' characters most likely to die next, ranked</a>. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/financial-adviser-first-question-fiduciary-2016-6">The most important question you should ask before hiring a financial adviser</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="BtNWZ2MzE648d75KJjZuMeDMI-faHYUo" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

The 10 most important things in the world right now

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Vision Of Humanity" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/546b61946bb3f7956d30054c-960/screen shot 2014-11-18 at 9.40.44 am.png"></a><a href="http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/our-gti-findings">Vision Of Humanity</a></div></div></div>
Within a single year the world has experienced a 61% increase in terrorist attacks, according to the 2014 edition of <a href="http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/indexes/terrorism-index">The Global Terrorism Index</a> from the Institute for Economics &amp; Peace. 
The index covers 99.6% of the world's population and ranks 162 countries based on the impact of terrorist activities along with analysis of economic and social factors. The IEP defines terrorism as "the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation."
Here are the key findings from the report (<a href="http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/our-gti-findings" target="_blank">and here is the full report</a>): 
<h2 class="p1">Iraq Breeds The Most Terrorism Along With These 4 Nations</h2>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>
Approximately 17,958 people were killed in terrorist attacks last year, and of those deaths 82% occurred in just 5 nations: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Syria. 
Of the 162 surveyed nations, Iraq holds the deplorable top spot with approximately 2,492 terrorist attacks in 2013, which killed 6,362 people. 
Combined, these nations accounted for nearly 15,000 fatalities. Since 2000 only 5% of these crimes were suicide attacks.
The four terrorist groups responsible for the most destructive acts are Taliban, Boko Haram, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda. The report notes that radical variants of Islam was "the key commonality for all four groups." However, the study does not take into account the recent attacks from ISIS since the research tapers off at the end of 2013. 
Although terrorism is on the rise, the report notes that the figures are still relatively small when compared to the 437,000 people killed by homicide in 2013. For example, in the US an individual is 64 times more likely to die from a homicide than terrorism.
The overwhelming method of carrying out a terrorist attack was by way of explosives. Since 2000, only 5% of these crimes were suicide attacks.
<h2 class="p1">At Risk Countries</h2>
According to the report, more than 90% of all terrorist attacks occur in countries that have gross human rights violations.
<h2 class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div></h2>
IEP identifies the following 13 countries with a high risk potential of terrorism activity. 
These nations either have violent ongoing conflicts or notable social and economic setbacks. 
Angola, Bangladesh, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cote D' Ivory, Ethiopia, Iran, Israel, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Uganda. 
<h2>Causes Of Terrorism</h2>
From the report, the following are the 3 main factors associated with terrorism:
Greater social hostilities between different ethnic, religious and linguistic groups, lack of intergroup cohesion and high levels of group grievances.
&#x1f;&#x1f;Presence of state sponsored violence such as extrajudicial killings, political terror and gross human rights abuses.
Higher levels of other forms of violence including deaths from organized conflict, likelihood of violent demonstrations, levels of violent crime and perceptions of criminality.

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