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Customers' complaints about problems like cash withdrawal and exchange of old notes faced post <keyword id="3315394" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="demonetisation">demonetisation</keyword> cannot be entertained under the Banking <keyword id="49909" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ombudsman">Ombudsman</keyword> (BO) scheme, according to PTI news report. The central bank said that demonetisation is not one of the 27 grounds under which a customer can lodge a complaint with the Banking Ombudsman. During the demonetisation period, people had to face various problems in form of restrictions on withdrawal of currency notes and exchanging of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes that were withdrawn with immediate effect from midnight of November 8, 2016. "Banking Ombudsman Scheme (<keyword id="4744034" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bo-scheme">BO Scheme</keyword>), 2006 specifies 27 grounds of complaints under which complaints can be lodged. Complaints related to demonetisation is not a ground of complaint specified under the Scheme," a Right to Information (<keyword id="6356198" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="RTI">RTI</keyword>) query sent to the <keyword id="50847" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reserve-Bank">Reserve Bank</keyword> has revealed. In response to the question as to how many complaints came to RBI ombudsman offices across India related to demonetisation, the RBI stated: "As such information is not available." When contacted, a banking ombudsman officer said, "Demonetisation does not come under Ombudsman Scheme." All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) Secretary General Harvinder Singh said a lot many complaints came to banks during the demonetisation period and the lenders tried to resolve them to the extent possible, barring a few. "Many complaints came through emails, letters, phone calls and through personal visits. Even complaints were made directly to the Department of <keyword id="6354241" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Financial-Services">Financial Services</keyword>," Singh said. However, for example when banks were instructed to allow withdrawal of up to Rs 2.5 lakh by a family having marriage, the lenders could not help on time as the formal directives came late, he added. The banking ombudsman scheme covers complaints related to deficiency in banking including Internbanking or other services, non-adherence to the instructions of the RBI on ATM/debit cards and prepaid card operations. It also covers complaints regarding non-adherence by the bank or its subsidiaries of RBI guidelines on credit card operations, non-adherence of norms related to mobile banking or electronic banking, non-disbursement or delay in disbursement of pension among others. Even as the window to exchange the disbanded high value currency notes ended on December 30, 2016, people still visit RBI offices, though in a scattered number, in a hope to exchange their old notes which they could not do within the stipulated time for some or the other reasons. A Gurgaon resident, visiting RBI Delhi office, said he found some Rs 8,000 in old currency notes which his son had hidden somewhere and now wanted to exchange it with new ones. "But there is no one to hear my complaint," he said. Here, it is pertinent to mention that the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> earlier this month has given the Centre and the RBI two weeks' time to consider the option of granting a window to those who could not deposit their old notes for genuine reasons. A Supreme Court bench is hearing a batch of petitions, including from individuals seeking a direction to authorities to allow depositing demonetised notes to banks in lieu of legal currency after being failed to do so under the given time-frame.

No complaints regarding demonetization and its after effects will be entertained under Banking Ombudsman

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rosario Dawson reprises her role as Ahsoka Tano in the new live-action Disney+ series.</li><li>Ashley Eckstein previously voiced Ahsoka Tano in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels."</li></ul><h2>Ahsoka Tano was Anakin Skywalker's padawan in 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'</h2><div type="image" title="Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) talking to Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) in &quot;Star Wars: The Clone Wars.&quot;" height="676" width="901" msid="102955364" hostid="261"></div>In 2008, the animated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" movie introduced Ahsoka Tano (voiced by Ashley Eckstein) for the first time, as the Jedi Council ordered <a href="https://www.insider.com/george-lucas-anakin-skywalker-destroy-star-wars-2020-11">Anakin Skywalker</a> (Matt Lanter) to train her as his padawan, or apprentice. It was a surprising revelation that he had an apprentice because none of the movies mentioned it.When <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-to-watch-star-wars-clone-wars-2020-5">"The Clone Wars"</a> continued as a TV series, Ahsoka's training continued as the Jedi and the Republic continued to wage war against the droid armies that belonged to the Separatists. During this time, she became close with clones like Captain Rex (Dee Bradley Baker) and the Mandalorian warrior Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff). Her friendship with Bo-Katan is largely why Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka was brought into live action back in "The Mandalorian" season two, as Bo sent <a href="https://www.insider.com/pedro-pascal-the-mandalorian-voice-fans-creepy-2023-2">Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal)</a> to look for her so that she could help train <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-mandalorian-baby-yoda-details-to-know-grogu-2023-4">Grogu</a>.<h2>Ahsoka left the Jedi Order after being framed for bombing the Jedi Temple</h2><div type="image" title="Ahsoka (Ashley Eckstein) leaving Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) and the Jedi Order." height="1022" width="1363" msid="102955366" hostid="261"></div>While Ahsoka is definitely a hero, she doesn't class herself as a Jedi, and in fact, she left the Jedi Order in "The Clone Wars" season six when she was framed for bombing the temple. The person responsible was another Jedi, Barriss Offee, who carried out the attack because she believed that the order had become corrupt — and that they were the ones actually responsible for the war with the Separatists. While this didn't turn Ahsoka to the dark side, it did make her face the fact that the Jedi weren't as perfect and wholly good as they made themselves out to be, which is why she chose to leave and forge her own path.<h2>David Tennant's Huyang is an ancient droid who helped Jedi padawans build their lightsabers</h2><div type="image" title="David Tennant at the 2023 BAFTA Television Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on May 14, 2023 in London, and as Huyang in &quot;Ahsoka.&quot;" height="900" width="1200" msid="102955368" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://www.insider.com/ahsoka-star-wars-disney-plus-cast-real-life-photos-2023-8">The "Ahsoka" TV series</a> will also reintroduce "Star Wars" fans to Huyang (<a href="https://www.insider.com/david-tennant-fought-for-doctor-who-to-wear-converse-2018-10">David Tennant</a>), an ancient droid whose job it was to teach Jedi padawans how to build their own lightsabers when they were old enough. Tennant voiced the droid in "The Clone Wars" season five back in 2013.Huyang has 25,000 years of Jedi history stored in his memory, which is pretty important because he could potentially help teach new Jedi alongside <a href="https://www.insider.com/every-star-wars-movie-ranked-worst-to-best">Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill)</a>.The iconic hero last appeared in "The Book of Boba Fett" when he was seen building a new Jedi Order on a remote planet. Ahsoka even visited Skywalker to check on his progress.<h2>Rosario Dawson's hero reunites with several key characters from 'Star Wars Rebels'</h2><div type="image" title="Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla and Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren in &quot;Ahsoka.&quot;" height="900" width="1200" msid="102955369" hostid="261"></div>"Ahsoka" will also bring several key characters from "Star Wars Rebels" into live action, with <a href="https://www.insider.com/ahsoka-star-wars-disney-plus-cast-real-life-photos-2023-8">Mary Elizabeth Winstead playing pilot Hera Syndulla</a>, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo as the Mandalorian, Sabine Wren.The pair met Ahsoka on numerous occasions in the animated series, but it's the first time that they'll all meet in live action. Sabine was actually Ahsoka's padawan at the end of "Rebels," but the teaser trailers for "Ahsoka" hint that they went their separate ways.The main character from "Rebels," Ezra Bridger (Esman Esfandi), is also set to cross over into live action. He was a young orphan who trained as a Jedi under Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and eventually became extremely powerful in the Force. <h2>Ezra Bridger saved Ahsoka from Darth Vader by pulling her into the World Between Worlds</h2><div type="image" title="Ezra Bridger (Taylor Gray), Morai the owl, and Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) in the World Between Worlds." height="1191" width="1588" msid="102955370" hostid="261"></div>"Rebels" also introduced a huge new concept into the "Star Wars" galaxy with the World Between Worlds, which could only be entered through an old Jedi Temple on the planet of Lothal. When Ezra found it, he realized that it connected all the major points of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-ways-to-watch-star-wars-movies">"Star Wars" timeline</a> — including a duel between Ahsoka and Darth Vader, her former master. Bridger managed to save Ahsoka from being killed by pulling her into the World Between Worlds.Ahsoka managed to persuade Ezra that using it to save people in his life who had died could have drastic consequences because he would be changing time itself. Ultimately, they both left the bizarre realm, and kept it hidden from the Empire. But it's not impossible that it could return in live action.<h2>Morgan Elsbeth has been working for Thrawn and previously appeared in 'The Mandalorian' season two</h2><div type="image" title="Morgan Elsbeth (Dianna Lee Inosanto) fighting Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in &quot;The Mandalorian&quot; season two." height="1159" width="1546" msid="102955371" hostid="261"></div>The trailers for the series also revealed that Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) will return, as she works alongside two mysterious Dark Side users, Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno). Elsbeth previously appeared in <a href="https://www.insider.com/mandalorian-season-2-details-you-missed-2020">"The Mandalorian" season two</a> when Tano was hunting Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) on the planet Corvus. While Elsbeth is a skilled fighter, Ahsoka quickly defeated her and liberated the people that Elsbeth was ruling over. It's not clear what she was doing for Thrawn, or what their plan for the universe is besides reviving the Empire to its former strength.Thrawn was last seen at the end of "Rebels" when Ezra Bridger used the Force to transport the Imperial villain to the opposite end of the galaxy to try and stop his schemes. It seems likely that whatever Elsbeth is up to involves bringing Thrawn back from where he and Ezra ended up."Ahsoka" premieres on <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=86aab8548f4bcb3a69216d3a36acecad9b7ee7e07b8905829862fdcf29d63e99&amp;postID=64e4d25cf87b369c6da53ab1&amp;site=in&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disney+</a> on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

6 things 'Star Wars' fans should remember before watching 'Ahsoka' starring Rosario Dawson

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/john-mulaney-and-his-wife-2019-7">John Mulaney</a> and <keyword id="6077908" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="pete-davidson">Pete Davidson</keyword> have developed an unlikely <keyword id="6357794" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Friendship">friendship</keyword> over the last few years.</li><li>They've both worked on <a href="https://www.insider.com/saturday-night-live-fun-facts-2018-9">"Saturday Night Live,"</a> and the comedians even toured together. </li><li>The friends have supported each other's endeavors on social media and in real life. </li></ul><a href="https://www.insider.com/most-popular-comedians-of-all-time-2018-4">Comedians</a> <keyword id="4222849" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="john-mulaney">John Mulaney</keyword> and Pete Davidson may seem like total opposites - one being a tatted 20-something and the other a suit-clad 30-something - but that hasn't stopped them from forming a close friendship.The two have performed in multiple <a href="https://www.insider.com/most-controversial-saturday-night-live-music-performances-2019-6">"Saturday Night Live"</a> skits together, talked about each other in interviews and on social media, and even gone on tour.Here's a look at how their friendship has evolved since they met:<h2>October 17, 2015: Mulaney tweeted that Davidson followed him on Twitter</h2>It's unclear exactly when or how Mulaney and Davidson met, but it is clear when their social-media friendship started.In 2015, before appearing on "SNL" together, Mulaney tweeted about <a href="https://twitter.com/mulaney/status/655445999507238912">Davidson following him</a> on Twitter."I just got followed by @petedavidson!!!!!! Tubular! Thanks Pete. I left half an Adderall in my office two years ago. Please mail to me," he wrote.<h2>April 14, 2018: They appeared in their first 'SNL' skits together</h2><div type="image" title="diner lobster skit snl" height="1265" width="1686" msid="82446750" hostid="261"></div>Mulaney, who used to <a href="https://www.insider.com/stars-who-got-rejected-by-saturday-night-live">write for "SNL,"</a> returned to host the show for the first time in April 2018.Mulaney and Davidson appeared in the musical <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLZQfnFyelTBOQ15kmHSgEbdjzLMWzZpL7&amp;v=Pj-D0jc17D0&amp;feature=emb_titlemb_title">"Diner Lobster"</a> skit together, where the older comedian played a waiter at a diner and the younger one played a customer ordering lobster.Davidson broke character and laughed while Mulaney performed a musical medley.Later on the episode, they did another skit together called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLZQfnFyelTBOQ15kmHSgEbdjzLMWzZpL7&amp;time_continue=6&amp;v=6mtkqIrOLOg&amp;feature=emb_titlere=emb_title">"Drag Brunch,"</a> where Mulaney played a waitress and Davidson, again, played one of his customers. <h2>October 30, 2018: The two went to a Steely Dan show together</h2>A few months after appearing on "SNL," Mulaney and Davidson went to a Steely Dan concert with <a href="https://www.insider.com/john-mulaney-and-his-wife-2019-7">Mulaney's wife</a>, Annamarie Tendler, and his college roommate.Mulaney tweeted out a <a href="https://twitter.com/mulaney/status/1057467616317587457?">video from the show</a> with the caption, "I've seen Steely Dan for 12 years and no one ever stands. Pete Davidson changed that tonight."The comedian <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDz-RUMmpjE">later told Jimmy Fallon</a> that Davidson didn't even know who or what Steely Dan was before showing up to the concert.<h2>December 3, 2018: The friends sat courtside at a New York basketball game</h2>At the end of 2018, Davidson and Mulaney sat courtside to watch the New York Knicks play the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden.<h2>December 11, 2018: Mulaney talked about going to see Bob Dylan with Davidson and Jerry Seinfeld</h2>During an interview on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Mulaney said that he went to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDz-RUMmpjE">a Bob Dylan show</a> with Davidson and Jerry Seinfeld. Mulaney joked that Davidson didn't know any of the songs, and added, "I love him very much and he's a wonderful friend and he's just great to go out with." <h2>January 14, 2019: The friends started touring together, and Mulaney showed off how different their dressing rooms were </h2>Mulaney and Davidson kicked off 2019 by going on a "Sundays With Pete and John" <a href="https://www.insider.com/funniest-netflix-originals-to-watch-right-now">comedy tour</a> across the New York metropolitan area. Before one show, Mulaney posted a series of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsmznW5BAPD/?utm_source=ig_embed">photos on Instagram</a> to show how different their dressing rooms were, which he captioned, "a study in green rooms." In the photos, Mulaney's room is clean and filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, and a carton of almond milk.But Davidson's dressing room is full of friends, takeout food boxes, and what Mulaney calls "Pete's green room detail" (<a href="https://www.insider.com/pete-davidson-weed-medical-reasons-2018-9">marijuana</a>). <h2>January 19, 2019: The friends appeared on a sweet 'Weekend Update' segment</h2><div type="image" title="john mulaney and pete davidson on weekend update" height="1496" width="1995" msid="82446752" hostid="261"></div>On the first "SNL" episode of 2019, Mulaney and Davidson joined <a href="https://www.insider.com/scarlett-johansson-colin-jost-relationship-timeline-2018-10">Colin Jost</a> and Michael Ché for their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLZQfnFyelTBOQ15kmHSgEbdjzLMWzZpL7&amp;v=X5TEsdb918c&amp;feature=emb_titlemb_title">"Weekend Update" segment</a>.After bringing up Clint Eastwood's "The Mule," Davidson brought Mulaney on because he said he needed someone who could appreciate the movie with him.When Jost said he didn't realize the two hung out a lot, Mulaney said, "Yeah we do, but a lot of times it looks like I'm Pete's lawyer." Davidson added, "People usually think he's like an NBA coach, and I'm like the controversial rookie." The bit continued with Mulaney saying, "I've been spending time with Pete to try to show him that you can have a life in comedy that is not insane. A sober, domestic life." "And after observing John's life, I publicly threatened suicide," Davidson quipped back in reference to a <a href="https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/pete-davidson-deletes-instagram-1203090685/">2018 social-media post</a> in which he shared suicidal thoughts. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't make that joke, but it is funny." "Pete, look at me. Look me in the eye. You are loved by many, and we are glad you are OK," Mulaney replied. "Now back to 'The Mule.'" After the show, Mulaney tweeted out a photo of <a href="https://twitter.com/mulaney/status/1086869914613436417">him and Davidson</a> laughing together with the caption, "That was so stupid and fun. Thanks @nbcsnl." <h2>February 18, 2019: Mulaney and Davidson swapped wardrobes for a comedy show</h2>During one of their tour shows, Mulaney and Davidson stepped into each other's shoes.Mulaney posted <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BuAxQOMndtF/?hl=en">a photo on Instagram</a> with the caption, "We switched clothes for the second show." Later that month, during an appearance on "The Tonight Show," Mulaney told Fallon <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1e2PAxoido&amp;feature=emb_logologo">they swapped</a> because Davidson made fun of <a href="https://www.insider.com/fashion-and-clothing-trends-that-will-be-popular-in-2021">his attire</a>. "He looks fantastic. And I gotta tell you, I felt fantastic," Mulaney said. "These are like triple XL shirt and jacket with SpongeBob SquarePants pajama bottoms."He continued, "He's worn that ensemble before. He had it on a hanger and someone came into the dressing room and went, 'Are you going to wear a costume?' and he went, 'Those are my clothes.'" Mulaney also told Fallon, "We have, like, slightly different touring styles. I mean, we're a little different, as people." <h2>February 28, 2019: Mulaney and Davidson spilled their secrets on 'The Tonight Show' </h2>During that same appearance on "The Tonight Show," Davidson joined Mulaney and Fallon to play a game of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoLU3-dhoY0&amp;feature=emb_titleitle">True Confessions</a>.When Mulaney confirmed that his story about his neighbor being a cannibal was true, Davidson said he must have just forgotten the memory of Mulaney telling him it before.Mulaney replied, "I haven't. I've lived a full life. There's many stories." <h2>March 2, 2019: Mulaney returned to host 'SNL,' and the friends took some backstage photos </h2><div type="image" title="pete davidson john mulaney" height="1421" width="1895" msid="82446754" hostid="261"></div>When Mulaney returned to host "SNL" in 2019, he and Davidson followed up their "Diner Lobster" musical skit with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgBxxEL-3TI">"Bodega Bathroom."</a> They also performed together in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF6gExZu-2M&amp;t=1st=1s">"Chad Horror Movie"</a> skit.After the show, the friends posed for photos backstage wearing T-shirts with Mulaney's wife's face on them.He <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Buipd9tnsTf/">posted a couple on Instagram</a> with the caption, "The greatest woman in the world made me a t-shirt for SNL GOODNIGHTS featuring the only good photo I have ever taken. Luckily it's of her. Oh and after he saw it she made one for Pete too."<h2>March 27, 2019: Mulaney helped promote Davidson's fundraiser for the Natural Resources Defense Council</h2>Davidson <a href="https://charity.gofundme.com/m/snlpete/">put together a fund</a> for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a non-profit international environmental advocacy group, and asked fans to donate.Everyone who donated at least $10 was entered into a raffle to win roundtrip airfare for two to New York City, two nights at a New York hotel, and two tickets to "SNL" along with entrance to the after-party.Davidson filmed his promotional video for the fundraiser in a dressing room, and halfway through, Mulaney walked in to sing his praises.Mulaney also <a href="https://twitter.com/mulaney/status/1110927790310858752">tweeted out the video</a> and wrote, "I interrupted this promo video by accident. Pete Davidson does a lot for the incredible @NRDC. Win a chance to go to 'SNL,' hang with him, be his guest for the party. I promise an hour or 2 spent with Pete is an absurd and incredible experience."<h2>September 12, 2019: Mulaney said he once watched a movie with Davidson and Ariana Grande</h2>During an interview with Esquire, Mulaney talked a little bit about his <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a28900498/john-mulaney-interview-2019/">unlikely friendship with Davidson</a>, highlighting how different they are.He said that he invites Davidson to Steely Dan concerts, but "Pete invites me over while he gets a tattoo.'"He added that one time he hung out with Davidson and his then-girlfriend, <a href="https://www.insider.com/ariana-grande-fun-facts-2018-10">Ariana Grande</a>."We watched a movie together. 'Eighth Grade.' Bo Burnham," he said. In the interview, while speaking about their comedy tour, Mulaney added, "I knew Pete loved stand-up more than anything and wanted to get out there."Mulaney also brought up his "Weekend Update" sketch with Davidson, where they touched on <a href="https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/pete-davidson-deletes-instagram-1203090685/">Davidson's 2018 Instagram post</a> in which he shared suicidal thoughts. "I tell him I love him all the time," Mulaney said. "... Pete and I came up with that bit together, but in my head, I was like, 'I hope this is a cathartic thing for him.' However it came to be, I was very glad it was there." <h2>February 26, 2020: The friends did an 'SNL' promo video to show off the 'new and improved' Davidson </h2><div type="image" title="john mulaney and pete davidson snl promo" height="1574" width="2098" msid="82446756" hostid="261"></div>The promo video showed Mulaney walking into Davidson's green room to find a surprising scene: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k5s-B3IfQI&amp;feature=emb_titleitle">Davidson meditating</a>.Davidson explained in the video that he was getting "cleared out" and is a changed man, but his friend didn't believe him and demanded that Davidson show him his eyes to check if they're bloodshot. Then after telling Davidson that he's proud of him, Mulaney asked his friend for his vape."No, you can't do that. You can't vape," Davidson replied. "That's so bad for you." Davidson ended by saying he was going to act stupid in front of the paparazzi outside so no one would catch on to his real persona. <h2>February 29, 2020: Mulaney and Davidson continued their musical-medley series on 'SNL'</h2><div type="image" title="airport sushi skit snl" height="1568" width="2096" msid="82446758" hostid="261"></div>When Mulaney returned for his first "SNL" hosting gig of 2020, he and Davidson continued their musical-medley skit series with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d7Vk_qaiB8&amp;t=1st=1s">"Airport Sushi."</a>The friends also paired up for the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_mhtXadceM">"Uncle Meme"</a> sketch, where Davidson played Mulaney's scheming nephew. <h2>April 2020: Davidson was a guest on Mulaney and Nick Kroll's podcast </h2>A follow-up to "The Oh, Hello Show" Broadway play, "‎Oh, Hello: the P'dcast" was hosted by Nick Kroll and Mulaney in character as George St. Geegland and Charmed I'm Sure Gil Faizon while they "investigated" Princess Diana's death. Davidson appeared on episode four and mentioned he doesn't often go on podcasts. While on the podcast, Davidson said he hasn't ever seen a photo of Princess Diana, and Mulaney teased him for it. <h2>June 5, 2020: Mulaney and Davidson talked about their friendship with Vanity Fair</h2>During a virtual interview with Vanity Fair, the friends spent an hour <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/06/pete-davidson-john-mulaney-king-of-staten-island">chatting about Davidson's film</a> "The King of Staten Island."They mainly spoke about the film and their careers, but they made sure to joke around a bit, too.Davidson joked that <a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrities-who-have-been-friends-since-they-were-kids">their friendship</a> was set up by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Mulaney quipped back that it was actually the "A Lot of Problems Agency."On a more serious note, Mulaney said that their differences don't matter much. "It's not that ridiculous that two people who have worked in the same places and have met several times decided to become friends," he said. <h2>June 15, 2020: Davidson said he always has fun working with Mulaney</h2><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlI6-egxXtw">During an appearance</a> on "Late Night With Seth Meyers," Davidson reminisced on an "SNL" skit he did with his friend."It's always fun to work with Mulaney, I think he's the greatest," he said. <h2>October 31, 2020: Mulaney and Davidson reunited for more 'SNL' skits on the Halloween episode</h2><div type="image" title="john mulaney and pete davidson headless horseman skit snl" height="1569" width="2092" msid="82446764" hostid="261"></div>When Mulaney showed up to host "SNL" again for the comedy show's 2020 Halloween episode, he reunited with Davidson for a few more humorous skits. In addition to adding a new musical-medley skit, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UffOrgP8Is">"New York Musical,"</a> to their ongoing series, Davidson and Mulaney put a comedic twist on a haunted classic in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHmrq4wG85M">"Headless Horseman"</a> sketch.<h2>April 2, 2021: Davidson said Mulaney would've stopped being his friend if kept referring to his mom's basement as his 'man cave'</h2>After years of poking fun at his own living situation, Davidson said he finally moved out of his mom's basement in a Zoom call that was recorded and uploaded <a href="https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/hollywood-news/pete-davidson-moves-out-of-his-moms-basement-says-im-fully-out-now-i-got-a-pad.html">to a now-private TikTok</a> video.He also said that he used to call his mom's basement his "man cave" until Mulaney and his wife threatened to "no longer be his friend" if he continued. Instead, he started calling it "'the' Basement, like 'the' Ohio State University."

Pete Davidson and John Mulaney's relationship goes beyond 'Saturday Night Live.' Here's a timeline of their friendship.

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image">Shuttershock/Daniel Loretto</div></div>The area of land used for producing <keyword id="14727" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cocaine">cocaine</keyword> in <keyword id="15385" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Colombia">Colombia</keyword> has fallen to its lowest level since experts started tracking the numbers, Bloomberg reports. In 2012 the amount of land used fell 25%.
The country has been using manual and aerial spraying to eradicate coca bushes per a Clinton Administration counter-narcotics program called Plan Colombia.
This is all in a report by the <a href="http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2013/August/colombia-grows-quarter-less-coca-crop-according-to-unodc-2012-survey.html?ref=fs1">United Nation's Office of Drugs and Crime</a>.
Check out more details in <a href="http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2013/August/colombia-grows-quarter-less-coca-crop-according-to-unodc-2012-survey.html?ref=fs1">their release below:</a>
8 August 2013 - The area under coca crop cultivation in Colombia fell by a quarter in 2012 to 48,000 hectares (ha), down from 6 4,000 ha in 2011. This was the national picture at the end of 2012.A survey jointly conducted by the Government of Colombia and UNODC shows that coca bush cultivation affected 23 of the country's 32 departments; decreased in 17 departments; increased in the 3 departments of Norte de Santander, Caquetá and Chocó; and remained unchanged in the remaining 3.
Satellite images and field surveys showed that some 80 per cent of cultivation was concentrated in 8 departments, with roughly half taking place in 3 of those departments. Nariño, Putumayo, Guaviare and Cauca saw the greatest declines and 7 departments are now below the 100-hectare level.
The Government manually eradicated almost 30, 500 ha of coca bushes in 2012 and sprayed nearly 100,550 ha of coca crops from the air, similar to 2011 levels. These efforts thus curbed the area affected by coca cultivation in 2012 from 135,000 ha to 48,000 ha by the end of the year.
The farm-gate value of coca leaf and derivatives (coca paste, cocaine base) in 2012 was estimated at US$ 370 million, down from the 2011 value of US$422 million, and worth 0.2 per cent of national GDP and 3 per cent of the GDP related to the agricultural sector. In contrast, prices remained stable for cocaine base (+3.9 per cent), paste (-0.4 per cent), and chlorhydrate (-2.4 per cent). Recent studies show that the coca leaf yield per hectare has decreased. The number of households involved in coca cultivation fell 3 per cent from 62,400 in 2011 to 60,600 in 2012.
Annual yields of coca leaf have been decreasing since 2005 but the market price has picked up almost 10 per cent. The production of 100 per cent pure cocaine ranged from between 240 and 377 tons. Since estimates are uncertain, the 2012 figure may be calculated at 309 tons, which is comparable to the 2011 figure. Cocaine seizures of unknown purity rose 21 per cent from some 156 metric tons in 2011 to around 188 tons in 2012.
With the average gross income of a farmer selling coca leaf is estimated at USD $1, 220 per year, coca production does not fetch the same lucrative rewards as in the past; in 2005, 82 per cent of coca growers were dependent on the crop and its derivatives, whereas the latest survey points to some 60 per cent of farmers - 30 per cent fewer - considering coca-related activities as their mainstay. Some 30 per cent of farmers are currently involved in the conversion of coca leaf into base cocaine, half the 2005 figure.
"The impact of the government efforts to eradicate illicit coca crop is visible. However, the 2012 and previous surveys show that after eradication takes place, cultivation often resumes in new or previously cleared fields. Therefore, crop eradication, even when it yields positive results, must be complemented by alternative livelihood schemes to improve social, economic and environmental conditions and to achieve a sustainable reduction in the area under cultivation" said Bo Mathiasen, UNODC Representative in Colombia.
In 2012, investments of almost US$250 million were made in the framework of the Policy of Territorial Consolidation to tackle the factors making territories vulnerable to coca cultivation while promoting development, notably in the provinces of Nariño, Antioquia, Putumayo, Huila and Cauca.

Colombia Is Using The Least Amount Of Land For Cocaine Production In Its Recorded History

It is true that <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> is home to millions of hungry stomachs and often witnesses deaths due to starvation (the main <keyword id="6366401" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Driver">driver</keyword> behind the recently passed National Food Security Act). But there is another side to the Indian food story. Even as the country is trying to sort out its food issues through various government schemes and breakthroughs in agricultural &amp; farming technology, it is also playing host to hundreds of international <keyword id="41941" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="fast-food">fast food</keyword> chains who are now settling down nicely and gaining ground in the country’s cultural and food landscape. 
 While rapid urbanisation across the country has witnessed a burst of sorts in terms of floating and migrant population, urban spaces are also turning into impersonal pockets and succumbing to the side effects of a globalised <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword>. With changing lifestyle, the nouveau riche, the well-heeled and the well-travelled people are rapidly taking to the global brands that rule the fast food culture worldwide. On the other hand, the international fast food brands are also experimenting with local flavours to add more zing to their cuisine and cater better to the multi-cultured Indian society. 
 
Consequently, taste buds at home are changing fast and India has more appetite for pizzas, burgers, fries and subs, made to suit its spice-loving palate. But the foodies here also make sure that they don’t miss out on local delicacies – be it vada pav, idli or dosa. 
 This strange brew of local and global is the new food reality in India, fuelling a new boom for both brands of fast food, satiating the hunger of millions and satisfying their penchant for taste. Just as <keyword id="33542" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Burger-King">Burger King</keyword>, <keyword id="6377922" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Starbucks">Starbucks</keyword>, KFC, McDonald’s, Dominos, Au Bo Pain, US Pizza and Pizza Hut are setting up shops across major cities, their desi counterparts such as Vada Pav, Shanti Sagar, KC Das, Adiga’s, Nirula’s and the likes also remain a quintessential part of the ever- expanding food courts and eat-on-the-go chains and hotels. 
 
In a survey conducted a couple of years ago, PricewaterhouseCoopers indicated that China and India’s economies were expanding more rapidly than the rest of the world. Even though India has developed a taste for the western food a bit late in the day (the early 1990s witnessed some resistance towards western brands), the country is now surely rolling out the red carpet. The upsurge in malls in every major Indian city has further triggered the growth as they essentially host all international fast food brands looking to expand in India. 
 Bolstering the PwC study, the Credit Rating Information Services of <keyword id="105160" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="India-Ltd">India Ltd</keyword> or CRISIL – the India unit of Standard &amp; Poor’s – has recently said that the fast food business will be worth a whopping $1.1 billion in the next three years and it is bound to grow rapidly in the near future. Interestingly, global brands hold an aggregate <keyword id="34527" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="market-share">market share</keyword> of 63% market in India. 
 
The quantum jump in urban development, coupled with the rise in number of women professionals (mostly from nuclear families) who are working as many hours as their male counterparts or even more, has led to a significant increase in disposable income. That means fast food brands have become even more appealing to urbanites because of their snob value and convenience. 
 
However, global brands are not the only hot items among this growing segment. Unless the brands make some considerable changes in their cuisine, they are soon expected to face tough competition from local brands, which have now branched out into franchises. 
 
As the fast food market in countries like the US is becoming increasingly crowded, many brands have decided to expand rapidly in India. But the game has not been an easy one, despite the fact that pizzas, burgers and sandwiches account for about 80% of the domestic fast food sales. Currently, Domino’s is the fastest expanding western brand in India. 
 
Still, the proof of the pudding is in its eating and the global fast food chains have, over a period of time, realised that ‘global’ flavours alone cannot win the Indian palette. Hence, the local flavours subtly blended with the core ones to co-exist harmoniously. In came the paneer and the masala versions, in order to attract more customers who seemed to be moving away for a while. 
 With <keyword id="22195" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Inflation">inflation</keyword> in India hitting about 8% over the past few months, multinational fast food outlets are finding that the customers are backing out from spending too much on a pizza or sandwich meal. As a result, the global brands are forced to come out with innovative methods to retain the customers – offering free goodies either in the form of a smaller meal for lesser price or value-added services such as ‘buy one, get one free’ that will amount to ‘greater value for money.’ 
 
During such difficult times when the economy is not forecasting too many bright days ahead, stores are out with offers that may cause a slight dent in their earnings, but that should not affect their operations overall. In a way, these are indirect benefits as cutting down on product prices does not make sense in the current scenario. But with these measures in place, the brands hope to get a breather before entering the competition with full force and hopefully, on expansion mode!

Global
& Local Fast Food Chains Are Feeding On India’s Insatiable Appetite

<keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">CHINA</keyword> has many good reasons not to build the $5.2 billion Xiaonanhai dam on the Yangzi river in Chongqing. The site, on a gentle slope that moves water along only slowly, is not ideal for generating hydropower. The fertile soil makes it one of China's most productive regions, so it is densely populated with farmers reaping good harvests. And the dam (see map), which would produce only 10% of the electricity of the Three Gorges project downstream, could destroy a rare fish preserve, threatening several endangered species including the Yangzi sturgeon.
<div class="content-image-float-290">Yet it does not matter how strong the case may be against Xiaonanhai, because the battle against a hydropower scheme in China is usually lost before it is fought. The political economy of dam-building is rigged. Though the Chinese authorities have made much progress in evaluating the social and environmental impact of dams, the emphasis is still on building them, even when mitigating the damage would be hard. Critics have called it the "hydro-industrial complex": China has armies of water engineers (including Hu Jintao, the former president) and at least 300 gigawatts of untapped hydroelectric potential. China's total generating capacity in 2012 was 1,145GW, of which 758GW came from coal-burning plants.</div>
An important motive for China to pursue hydropower is, ironically, the environment. China desperately needs to expand its energy supply while reducing its dependence on carbon-based fuels, especially coal. The government wants 15% of power consumption to come from clean or renewable sources by 2020, up from 9% now. Hydropower is essential for achieving that goal, as is nuclear power. "Hydro, including large hydro in China, is seen as green," says Darrin Magee, an expert on Chinese dams at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York state.
There is also a political reason why large hydro schemes continue to go ahead. Dambuilders and local governments have almost unlimited power to plan and approve projects, whereas environmental officials have almost no power to stop them.
Heavy on the levees
The problems begin with the planning for China's rivers, which are divided into fiefs by the state-owned power companies that build dams in much the same way as the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation divided up American rivers in the early 20th century. Though the staff of the water-resources ministry in Beijing know a lot about the environment, they have no say. "Big hydro projects are designed and approved by everybody but the ministry of water resources," says Mr Magee.
Local governments, meanwhile, view dams as enticing economic development projects. The dambuilders, which have special privileges to borrow, put up the financing. The extra electricity supports industrial expansion and brings in revenues. Local officials are promoted for meeting economic performance targets and some collude for personal gain with the dambuilders. Because of the decentralised nature of the industry, local officials try to include dams in their plans. Once they have done so, they can expect the environmental impact assessments that follow to be a formality-if only because the consultants who undertake them are paid by the hydropower companies.
Environmental officials who have not been financially captured by the dambuilding economy find themselves as scarce as some of the fish they are charged to protect. Environmental activists, meanwhile, can request access to public records and demand public hearings, both required by law. But they say that these avenues are barred when they are most needed-on controversial projects that face vocal opposition. For example, the authorities have rejected requests for public records on Xiaonanhai and they have not granted a public hearing.
If environmental regulators and activists want any hope of halting a project, they must go outside normal bureaucratic channels to lobby powerful Politburo members or the national media. Although that may not always work, it did in 2004, when Wen Jiabao, then prime minister, halted construction of a cascade of 13 dams on the Nu River in south-west China in order to protect the environment. Even then some work on the projects still proceeded. Meanwhile, smaller schemes race ahead unchecked. Promoted by dambuilders and local governments, nearly 100 smaller hydroelectric projects in the Nu river region went forward without needing permission from higher up. Some began before they had even received the final approval.
China's new leaders in recent months have signalled that they want yet more dams, approving several ambitious new projects, including what would be the highest dam in the world, on the Dadu river. After Mr Wen stepped down from his posts in the party and the government, the dams on the Nu river that he blocked received the go-ahead again.
Chinese leaders have for millennia sought to tame the country's great rivers, which have sustained and destroyed countless lives with cycles of abundance, famine and floods. Indeed their legitimacy as rulers has long been linked to their ability to do so. The Communist Party has built thousands of large dams since 1949. China is also the world's leading builder of big dams abroad; International Rivers, a pressure group, says that Chinese companies and financiers are involved in about 300 dam projects in 66 countries.
The most controversial emblem of Chinese hydropower is the Three Gorges dam, the largest in the world with a capacity of 22.5GW. In contrast, America's Hoover Dam has less than one-tenth of that capacity. Many critics within China felt that the Three Gorges was too big and too dangerous to build. They predicted that silt would collect in its reservoir, threatening the stability of the dam and lessening its capacity to produce power. They warned that the dam's vast reservoir, which would submerge the homes of more than 1m people, would become polluted and alter the flow and ecology of the Yangzi river. They also feared that the dam could cause earthquakes, as it sits on two major fault-lines.
Damn the consequences
In the end, though, political power trumped scientific argument. Nearly one-third of China's legislature either abstained or voted against the Three Gorges dam in 1992, in what remains the most vocal opposition the rubber-stamp body has ever registered against a proposal from China's leaders. But Li Peng, then prime minister, had trained as a hydroelectric engineer and was determined to build the dam. (His daughter, Li Xiaolin, is head of a publicly listed arm of one of the five big state-owned power companies.)
Today authorities acknowledge that many of the predictions about the Three Gorges dam have come true. This has led to them proposing mitigation strategies, including building more dams upstream, such as Xiaonanhai, to slow the accumulation of silt. The state has also passed numerous laws and regulations in an attempt to balance dam construction with the protection of China's rivers.
The Xiaonanhai dam, though, suggests that they are treading the same old path. First put forward in 1990, it was in recent years pushed hard by Bo Xilai, a member of China's Politburo who was sacked as Chongqing's party chief in March 2012 and tried last month. The dam, nevertheless, had its official groundbreaking ceremony just days after his downfall. China Three Gorges Corp, which is in charge of this section of the Yangzi river, has begun minor preparatory work on the dam; residents have been approached about resettlement; and last year Chongqing officials listed Xiaonanhai as a "major project" for 2013, making its construction almost a certainty, regardless of the environmental impact assessment when it comes.
Environmental activists are left to accept that hydropower will continue to transform all the big rivers of China. They argue that Xiaonanhai is not a "smart" dam even from the perspective of the power companies. For a large dam, it will not produce much electricity. And it is not ideally positioned to alleviate the silt build-up in the Three Gorges reservoir downstream-in part because so many other planned dams farther upstream will do the job, instead.
Guo Qiaoyu of The Nature Conservancy, an American environmental group, argues that Chongqing would do better to increase the power-generating capacity of existing dam projects in the region. A planned cascade of 12 dams along the lower Jinsha river nearby will produce almost 30 times as much electricity as the Xiaonanhai dam. About 90 other significant dams are planned in the region.
Fan Xiao, a Chinese environmental scholar and activist, argues that the dam will also destroy prime farmland that Chongqing needs to feed its 32m people. In a letter in 2011 to national leaders he called the area around Xiaonanhai "the most productive…concentration of arable land along the banks of the Yangzi river".
Indeed, Liao Rengang, a farmer of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers beside the Yangzi, says he earned more than 130,000 yuan ($21,000) last year. But Mr Liao says he will not bother fighting the dam: "If they want to take the land they can, because they are the state," he says. "It's not up to us."

China's $5.2 Billion Proposed Dam Has Disastrous Consequences

<div class="image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">ScreenshotThe proposed Xiaonanhai dam.</div></div></div><keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">CHINA</keyword> has many good reasons not to build the $5.2 billion Xiaonanhai dam on the Yangzi river in Chongqing. The site, on a gentle slope that moves water along only slowly, is not ideal for generating hydropower. The fertile soil makes it one of China's most productive regions, so it is densely populated with farmers reaping good harvests. And the dam (see map), which would produce only 10% of the electricity of the Three Gorges project downstream, could destroy a rare fish preserve, threatening several endangered species including the Yangzi sturgeon.
Yet it does not matter how strong the case may be against Xiaonanhai, because the battle against a hydropower scheme in China is usually lost before it is fought. The political economy of dam-building is rigged. Though the Chinese authorities have made much progress in evaluating the social and environmental impact of dams, the emphasis is still on building them, even when mitigating the damage would be hard. Critics have called it the "hydro-industrial complex": China has armies of water engineers (including Hu Jintao, the former president) and at least 300 gigawatts of untapped hydroelectric potential. China's total generating capacity in 2012 was 1,145GW, of which 758GW came from coal-burning plants.
An important motive for China to pursue hydropower is, ironically, the environment. China desperately needs to expand its energy supply while reducing its dependence on carbon-based fuels, especially coal. The government wants 15% of power consumption to come from clean or renewable sources by 2020, up from 9% now. Hydropower is essential for achieving that goal, as is nuclear power. "Hydro, including large hydro in China, is seen as green," says Darrin Magee, an expert on Chinese dams at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York state.
There is also a political reason why large hydro schemes continue to go ahead. Dambuilders and local governments have almost unlimited power to plan and approve projects, whereas environmental officials have almost no power to stop them.
Heavy on the levees
The problems begin with the planning for China's rivers, which are divided into fiefs by the state-owned power companies that build dams in much the same way as the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation divided up American rivers in the early 20th century. Though the staff of the water-resources ministry in Beijing know a lot about the environment, they have no say. "Big hydro projects are designed and approved by everybody but the ministry of water resources," says Mr Magee.
Local governments, meanwhile, view dams as enticing economic development projects. The dambuilders, which have special privileges to borrow, put up the financing. The extra electricity supports industrial expansion and brings in revenues. Local officials are promoted for meeting economic performance targets and some collude for personal gain with the dambuilders. Because of the decentralised nature of the industry, local officials try to include dams in their plans. Once they have done so, they can expect the environmental impact assessments that follow to be a formality-if only because the consultants who undertake them are paid by the hydropower companies.
Environmental officials who have not been financially captured by the dambuilding economy find themselves as scarce as some of the fish they are charged to protect. Environmental activists, meanwhile, can request access to public records and demand public hearings, both required by law. But they say that these avenues are barred when they are most needed-on controversial projects that face vocal opposition. For example, the authorities have rejected requests for public records on Xiaonanhai and they have not granted a public hearing.
If environmental regulators and activists want any hope of halting a project, they must go outside normal bureaucratic channels to lobby powerful Politburo members or the national media. Although that may not always work, it did in 2004, when Wen Jiabao, then prime minister, halted construction of a cascade of 13 dams on the Nu River in south-west China in order to protect the environment. Even then some work on the projects still proceeded. Meanwhile, smaller schemes race ahead unchecked. Promoted by dambuilders and local governments, nearly 100 smaller hydroelectric projects in the Nu river region went forward without needing permission from higher up. Some began before they had even received the final approval.
China's new leaders in recent months have signalled that they want yet more dams, approving several ambitious new projects, including what would be the highest dam in the world, on the Dadu river. After Mr Wen stepped down from his posts in the party and the government, the dams on the Nu river that he blocked received the go-ahead again.
Chinese leaders have for millennia sought to tame the country's great rivers, which have sustained and destroyed countless lives with cycles of abundance, famine and floods. Indeed their legitimacy as rulers has long been linked to their ability to do so. The Communist Party has built thousands of large dams since 1949. China is also the world's leading builder of big dams abroad; International Rivers, a pressure group, says that Chinese companies and financiers are involved in about 300 dam projects in 66 countries.
The most controversial emblem of Chinese hydropower is the Three Gorges dam, the largest in the world with a capacity of 22.5GW. In contrast, America's Hoover Dam has less than one-tenth of that capacity. Many critics within China felt that the Three Gorges was too big and too dangerous to build. They predicted that silt would collect in its reservoir, threatening the stability of the dam and lessening its capacity to produce power. They warned that the dam's vast reservoir, which would submerge the homes of more than 1m people, would become polluted and alter the flow and ecology of the Yangzi river. They also feared that the dam could cause earthquakes, as it sits on two major fault-lines.
Damn the consequences
In the end, though, political power trumped scientific argument. Nearly one-third of China's legislature either abstained or voted against the Three Gorges dam in 1992, in what remains the most vocal opposition the rubber-stamp body has ever registered against a proposal from China's leaders. But Li Peng, then prime minister, had trained as a hydroelectric engineer and was determined to build the dam. (His daughter, Li Xiaolin, is head of a publicly listed arm of one of the five big state-owned power companies.)
Today authorities acknowledge that many of the predictions about the Three Gorges dam have come true. This has led to them proposing mitigation strategies, including building more dams upstream, such as Xiaonanhai, to slow the accumulation of silt. The state has also passed numerous laws and regulations in an attempt to balance dam construction with the protection of China's rivers.
The Xiaonanhai dam, though, suggests that they are treading the same old path. First put forward in 1990, it was in recent years pushed hard by Bo Xilai, a member of China's Politburo who was sacked as Chongqing's party chief in March 2012 and tried last month. The dam, nevertheless, had its official groundbreaking ceremony just days after his downfall. China Three Gorges Corp, which is in charge of this section of the Yangzi river, has begun minor preparatory work on the dam; residents have been approached about resettlement; and last year Chongqing officials listed Xiaonanhai as a "major project" for 2013, making its construction almost a certainty, regardless of the environmental impact assessment when it comes.
Environmental activists are left to accept that hydropower will continue to transform all the big rivers of China. They argue that Xiaonanhai is not a "smart" dam even from the perspective of the power companies. For a large dam, it will not produce much electricity. And it is not ideally positioned to alleviate the silt build-up in the Three Gorges reservoir downstream-in part because so many other planned dams farther upstream will do the job, instead.
Guo Qiaoyu of The Nature Conservancy, an American environmental group, argues that Chongqing would do better to increase the power-generating capacity of existing dam projects in the region. A planned cascade of 12 dams along the lower Jinsha river nearby will produce almost 30 times as much electricity as the Xiaonanhai dam. About 90 other significant dams are planned in the region.
Fan Xiao, a Chinese environmental scholar and activist, argues that the dam will also destroy prime farmland that Chongqing needs to feed its 32m people. In a letter in 2011 to national leaders he called the area around Xiaonanhai "the most productive…concentration of arable land along the banks of the Yangzi river".
Indeed, Liao Rengang, a farmer of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers beside the Yangzi, says he earned more than 130,000 yuan ($21,000) last year. But Mr Liao says he will not bother fighting the dam: "If they want to take the land they can, because they are the state," he says. "It's not up to us."

Opening The Floodgates

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Carlos Barria</div></div>China has investigated <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-probes-more-than-25000-people-for-graft-in-first-half-of-year-2014-25">over 25,000 people for corruption</a> in the first six months of 2014. Probes into major cases were up 14% year-over-year.
<a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-01/14/c_133044810.htm">182,000 officials were punished</a> by discipline inspection agencies in 2013, up 13.3% year-over-year.
Remember, Chinese president Xi Jinping came to power on the back of a very ominous message from his predecessor. In late 2012, outgoing president Hu Jintao <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hu-jintaos-speech-highlights-economy-corruption-2012-11">warned </a>that corruption could prove "fatal" to the Chinese Communist party, and even "cause the collapse of the party and the fall of the state."
Xi, who has been described as "redder than red" took that message to heart. Under his watchful eye, China's anti-graft campaign has gathered steam.
At first we saw an austerity campaign that warned against lavish gift giving and wasteful consumption. Soon that spread to the takedown of corrupt officials in the Chinese communist party, though some would argue that the seeds of this were sown in the downfall of former Chongqing leader Bo Xilai.
Now, government officials have caps on daily spending when traveling around China. The Chinese military has been banned from buying foreign-made vehicles. The State Council is widening its probe into the use of public funds for travel, gifts etc among military officials. And officials have become nervous about being caught <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-officials-afraid-to-play-golf-2014-6">playing golf</a>.
Talking about the scope of this campaign in 2013, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/22/us-china-corruption-xi-idUSBRE90L0AA20130122">Xi said</a>,"we must uphold the fighting of tigers and flies at the same time, resolutely investigating law-breaking cases of leading officials and also earnestly resolving the unhealthy tendencies and corruption problems which happen all around people." 
<h3>The tigers and flies</h3>
Zhou Zhenhong, former member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and former head of the United Front Work Department, was <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1437111/senior-guangdong-official-zhou-zhenhong-sentenced-death-graft">sentenced to death</a> with a two-year reprieve. Zhou, a "tiger" was found guilty of <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-01/24/content_17254882.htm">accepting $4 million in bribes</a> and failing to account for about $6 million in assets. Zhou first came under the scanner in 2012. 
Last year, Liu Tienan, former deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) was <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1295287/former-senior-official-liu-tienan-be-prosecuted-graft">expelled from the Communist Party</a> after being accused of corruption. Liu was one of the first tigers to be caught in the anti-graft sweep across China, based on accusations made online. 
Liu Zhijun, former railways minister was given a suspended death sentence for corruption and abuse of power. Su Rong, former party chief for Gansu, Qinghai and Jiangxi Province before moving to the CPPCC, and a "tiger" was under suspicion for violating party rules and state law.
The latest to be ensnared in the crackdown is Rui Chenggang, a host on China Central Television (CCTV) and in the bigger scheme of things a fly. <a href="http://english.caixin.com/2014-07-14/100703599.html?utm_source=The+Sinocism+China+Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=754b729af6-Sinocism07_15_14&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_171f237867-754b729af6-24573061&amp;mc_cid=754b729af6&amp;mc_eid=743b9e45b4">Caixin Online reported</a> that he was detained shortly before his program aired on July 11. Li Yong at CCTV2 was also detained. The probe has also extended to other television executives like Guo Zhenxi, director of CCTV2.
And now the campaign is shifting gears to focus on "naked officials," those with immediate families that live abroad. Over a thousand naked officials were found in Guangdong province in June, with 200 of those officials asking their families to return home and 866 agreeing to demotions.
Xi's Consolidation Of Power
But there are two names that truly stand out. First, is <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-28305134">Zhou Yongkang</a>, a former Politburo Standing Committee member, is said be under investigation and so are three officials linked to him, Li Dongsheng, Jiang Jiemin, and Wang Yongchun.
Of course for Xi the one happy coincidence to this corruption purge, is that it helps him knock off some of his rivals. "Power consolidation is of course very important and we should consider the ongoing investigation into Zhou Yongkang and his allies at least in part in that light," Bill Bishop author of Sinocism told Business Insider. 
"There is little doubt these people were engaged in remarkable amounts of corruption, and there are all sorts of unproven rumors about plots and deals among this group in the runup up to the 2012 18th Party Congress, but taking down this network has also allowed Xi to gain control over the security services, and much faster than most observers expected."
"The other vital source of hard power is of course the military," explained Bishop, enter: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/01/world/asia/china-moves-against-one-of-its-top-leaders.html?_r=0">Xu Caihou</a>, who once held one of the highest positions in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and was a member of the Politburo. Xu was expelled from the Party and handed over to prosecutors for accepting bribes. This of course is a further sign of Xi consolidating power over the PLA.
Jim Chanos sees the corruption drive as a much more serious effort to "cleanse the party." Speaking on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jim-chanos-on-china-anti-corruption-2014-7">Bloomberg TV's Charlie Rose Show</a> he said, "If you look at the people's daily overnight announcements - I mean, there is four or five headshots put up on Twitter and on their website, of people who have been taken away every night. I mean it's almost as if you're seeing a Soviet-style 1930s purge through a social media."
Some argue that this makes Xi more <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/xi-jinping-reminiscent-of-deng-not-mao-2013-11">a Maoist, than a Dengist</a>, with reference to Deng Xiaoping, China's paramount leader from 1978 until his death in 1997. But some argue he's neither.
"I see Xi Jinping more as a Machiavellian than a Maoist," Arthur Dong, professor of strategy and economics at Georgetown University told Business Insider. "The ends that Xi Jinping and his reform minded coalition wish to pursue relate to the long-term viability of the Communist Party."
"Institutional weakness as a result of endemic corruption on the part of government administrators has been a recurring feature of China's past and one of the driving forces that led to the end of the dynastic cycle. President Xi knows that for the Party to survive it must maintain its legitimacy," he explained. "Invariably, some of the accused represent views that come to differ with Xi's. Their removal also presents the opportunity to remove a political rival. It is a messy game that Xi has so far been very adept at playing."
"It is a mistake however, to conclude that it is just about reshuffling officials so Xi can put his people in place," Bill Bishop author of Sinocism told Business Insider in an email interview. 
"I believe that Xi is serious about improving governance and cleaning up at least the more egregious corruption in both the Party-state and the military," Bishop said. "I think the anti-corruption efforts are also clearly about reining in and in some cases removing special interests that are resisting the very ambitious reform plans passed at the Third Plenum of the 18th Party Congress in November 2013."
<h3><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Bank of America" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53adf6026bb3f7222c83b203-960/screen shot 2014-06-27 at 6.52.19 pm.png"></a>Bank of America</div></div>The Economic Impact</h3>
There is however a snag to the anti-graft campaign. Unlike other countries, in the short-run, cracking down on corruption actually hurts growth in China, according to Alastair Chan at Moody's. 
The austerity campaign that we saw in real force in 2013, deterred conspicuous consumption and lavish gift giving. At the time, it hurt sales of luxury goods, catering at high-end restaurants, and wasteful construction of government buildings. Top-end restaurant sales were down 35% YoY in 2013.
Now Bank of America's Ting Lu believes that corruption is going to start impacting fixed asset investment (FAI). "Even for the honest officials, the escalated anti-graft campaign is making them think twice before making investment decisions," wrote Ting. 
"The officials are increasingly cautious as they don't want to be the next target of the campaign for the actions they have taken. Many feel the safest way during the heightened crackdown is to do nothing. This is part of the reason that Premier Li has repeatedly called for more action at local levels since May."
Ting points to "the abnormally high growth in bank deposits of governments and quasi-government agencies (up 28.3% and 23.6% yoy in February 2014 respectively)," the slowdown in retail sales and FAI growth as factors weighing on the Chinese economy.
Of course, Xi is aware that he can't terminate the campaign at this point. In fact economists expect it to continue for another two or three years. Moving forward Beijing is left with a tough choice between the social benefits of lower corruption or economic growth.

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